No I In Team
by Phoenix333
Summary: AU. BUFFY IS A WELL RESPECTED LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENT. ANGELUS IS THE RENOWNED LEADER OF AN ELITE SPECIAL FORCES TEAM. BUFFY IS THEIR NEW RECRUIT. COMPLETE


TITLE: NO I IN TEAM

DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING, JUST THE STORY AND THE FICTIONAL CHARACTERS I MAKE UP.

RATING: M - - FOR LANGUAGE, VIOLENCE AND ADULT THEMES.

PARING: BUFFY/ ANGEL(US)

SPOILERS: NONE – TOTALLY AU

SUMMARY: AU. BUFFY IS A WELL RESPECTED LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENT. ANGELUS IS THE RENOWNED LEADER OF AN ELITE SPECIAL FORCES TEAM. BUFFY IS THEIR NEW RECRUIT.

**AUTHORS NOTES:**

I don't know the exact distance from Los Angeles to San Diego; I only used an Atlas and worked from that. I've never been to either L.A or San Diego (that's only a dream) so I have no knowledge of anything related to the cities. Everything I write is purely fictional and I apologize if I get any of the facts wrong.

I didn't use Sunnydale as Buffy's home town as I think it's a bit small for what I want in this story.

I have absolutely NO idea how the Special Forces work and made up most of what I wrote, it could be completely inaccurate.

This has not been proof read so there are mistakes, please forgive me.

LOS ANGELES

HYPERION HOTEL – BASE OF OPERATIONS FOR THE HYPERION SPECIAL FORCES TEAM

STANDING IN the doorway to the large entertainment room, Giles took a deep breath, steeling himself for what lay ahead. Knowing he had no time left, he started talking, "Good morning gentlemen. I'm sure you're all aware that our new recruit is arriving today. Please do you best to make her feel welcome." Ignoring the groans of protest from the men, he turned on his heel and left before they could say anything more.

Ever since he told the team they were getting a new member, they made sure he knew how unhappy they were about it. Even though he didn't entertain them with a reply, he still hoped this would work.

Giles did his best to make sure the team members were happy and content at all times as part of the Hyperion Special Forces; and the announcement didn't go over well with anyone. When he announced that the new recruit was actually a woman, all hell broke loose.

Every single member objected to the idea and tried to sway him from his decision; but Giles was nothing if not head strong, and he had the utmost confidence in the new recruit. She wasn't what he expected, but when he saw what she could do, he knew she would fit right in with the team.

When an old friend of his from the police force in San Diego contacted him with the information of a possible candidate, he was skeptical. However, Giles knew that his lifelong friend wouldn't contact him to just look at any person hoping to make the team. Seeing as he went through all the trouble to have her file sent to him, Giles looked over her credentials, knowing Stephen Woods must be very confident in the person he was presenting. After Giles looked through her file and recommendations, he wasted no time in getting out to San Diego to see for himself.

Giles and the Hyperion Special Forces was a highly distinguished team, and rightly so. They didn't earn their reputation by sitting around blowing bubbles. No, he was very proud to say he was part of the team, even though he didn't go into the field; he handled all other aspects of the team, ensuring they worked like a well oiled machine.

As their manager, he was contacted frequently with offers and request, but the candidates seldom met his strict requirements. A lot of his time was spent interviewing potential candidates to join their team and he was used to the disappointment on their faces when he told them they weren't suited for the team.

To date, it was _totally_ unheard of to have a woman in the Special Forces, much less the Hyperion team. All that was rapidly changing now and Giles was optimistic about the challenges that lay ahead. Sure the team members were shocked, but like with all situations, they would just have to adapt and make the best of it. Giles was confident in his team and was sure they would make it work, even if they weren't pleased about the idea at first.

When he arrived in San Diego a few days later, he was stunned speechless when he saw what the young woman could do. Despite her appearance, she excelled in the 'try out' and did what few men could. Miss Summers had a very promising career ahead of her and he could tell she would be honored to serve with his team.

While reviewing her record, he was surprised to see she's been active in law enforcement from as young as seventeen, and as soon as she graduated from high school, she enrolled in the academy. After serving three years in the state law enforcement, she joined a small team of agents similar to the Special Forces and served with them for four years. Even though they only did small scale missions, she flourished where others failed.

It was refreshing to meet such a young, determined individual who had such drive and strong morals. Reports said a lot about people, but they didn't capture the essence of the person entirely, and meeting her face to face proved what a strong asset she would be to his team. At only twenty four, she had a shining record and was passionate about law enforcement, something other candidates lacked.

After offering her a position with the team, she accepted immediately and was scheduled to start working with them two weeks after Giles interviewed her. Those two weeks passed in a blur and he was excited that she was finally arriving. Giles couldn't wait to introduce her and get her in the field to show the men how well she preformed.

Buffy was due to arrive in twenty minutes and he still had some final arrangements to make. Her contract was delivered this morning and he was just proof reading it before he went to tell the men about her imminent arrival. Straightening his tie, Giles made his way downstairs.

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ANGELUS GROANED out loud, staring daggers at his team manager, still in total denial about what was happening. When Giles, who he believed was on drugs or suffering a mental breakdown, announced that he hired a woman to join their team, he'd contemplated committing murder. In all the time he's know Rupert Giles, the man had never made such an important decision without discussing it with the team first, now he's already hired the woman without telling them anything. He'd always trusted Giles' judgment, but he seriously doubted the man now, for the first time in twelve years.

Despite everyone's protests, a woman was joining their team; he shuddered from anger at the thought. The fact that Giles went behind his back and hired a woman, pissed him off royally, and it also made him very suspicious about his motives on said subject. Giles himself had always been on the same level with him regarding women in their line of work, to have him change his mind was totally unheard of.

At the age of twenty one, Angelus was the youngest man ever to be recruited into the Special Forces. Despite being a start football player and top academic student in high school, he turned down the scholarships and followed his one true passion, law enforcement.

While serving in the Marines, he was approached by Rupert Giles who was recruiting members for an elite task force. It would be the first of its kind and people couldn't just apply…they had to be approached and requested to join. Giles' heard about Angelus via the grapevine and knew he had to have him as team leader of the elite force. Angelus' dedication and strength was legendry and he knew he was the man for the job.

Giles approached him one week later and without hesitating, Angelus accepted the offer. Twelve years later and the Hyperion Special Ops team had made quite a name for itself; catering to the most high profile clients and even the FBI and CIA. Through hard work and determination, the Hyperion Special Forces were the best in the business. There was nothing they couldn't handle.

What Angelus couldn't handle however, was having a woman join the team he worked so hard at building. All the members where handpicked by him, and he made those decisions by taking each and every member's personal and professional history into account. The Hyperion Special Forces were an elite team of professionals; in short, they were the best there was. Now, after twelve years, a woman was going to destroy that right in front of him. And he'd be damned if he allowed a _woman_ to destroy what he worked so hard at building.

To add insult to injury, Giles refused to share any information about the woman with them, claiming to have 'misplaced' her file. Which was an outright lie; Rupert Giles _never _misplaced anything, he was meticulous about being neat and having everything in the right place; never leaving anything lying around. So either there was something he was hiding from them, or there was something seriously wrong with her. There was absolutely no information on her and without a name, he couldn't even call his contacts and have her checked out.

Angelus wasn't some egotistical jerk who despised women, far from it; he loved women…he just didn't want them in his line of work. He respected female officers very much; he just found them too delicate and fragile for this line of work. Add to that the fact that women didn't have the strength a man did, which meant that it would be harder for her to execute things he found easy. A weak link could cost his men their lives and that was a risk he wasn't willing to take.

Frankly, Angelus didn't give a crap about who she was or what she could do, no women would ever be able to best a man and whatever tricks she pulled on Giles, wouldn't work on him. Even if she was a respected officer and passed Giles' tests with flying colors, she would never match up to the men in his team or his requirements.

After a while, Spike scoffed at the door Giles occupied a few minutes earlier, like everyone else, he was less than pleased with their new arrival. "She's probably going to be some lesbian butch with masculinity issues and outweighs us by a hundred pounds." His humoristic comment caused everyone to chuckle and agree with the peroxide blond. Angelus imagined Spike's comment to be more accurate that he thought.

As more jokes were made, Angelus couldn't help but think about the recruit again. He imagined her to have dark, skull trimmed hair with a plump body and porky fingers that wouldn't even fit into the trigger of a gun. How else would a woman pass Giles' test if she didn't have some masculinity in her? Not that it mattered, he would make sure she left before the end of the month…there was no way she would even last that long when he was through with her.

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LOOKING UP at the huge building before her, Buffy couldn't help but gulp. When Giles said they operated out of the team leader's house, she didn't expect that 'house' to be a mansion. She knew the Hyperion Special Forces were high in demand, which ensured they were paid well, but she didn't expect them to live this lavishly. Looks like the Special Forces were paid better than she thought.

When she and Mr. Giles discussed her contract, she was very satisfied with the new salary she was getting, but she didn't expect the members to be paid so well to be able to afford mansions. Her salary was impressively more than what she was paid by the San Diego government, but even with the extra money, she wouldn't be able to afford anything resembling the mansion she was looking at now.

The huge front doors opened, and Buffy smiled as Mr. Giles stepped out to greet her. However, the warm smile on his kind face did little to help ease her raging nerves. In the two weeks since she met with Mr. Giles, Buffy's nerves had been wrecking havoc on her, and no matter how excited and honored she was to be working with them, she was still sure she would have to prove herself to the team.

As a woman in a man's world, she knew the men couldn't be very pleased about a women in their all men's team. The Hyperion Special Forces were famous and since their establishment twelve years ago, they've gone from strength to strength and were the 'rock stars' in the world of Special Ops. To have the opportunity to join them was like a dream come true for her.

Apprehension filled her as Mr. Giles escorted her to the entertainment room where the men were 'eagerly awaiting her arrival.' Despite his reassuring smile and positive attitude, she was positive they were the total opposite of eager; more like dreading.

It was no secret that men didn't like it when a woman was as good at things as they were. After five years in law enforcement, she was no stranger to animosity towards her because of her gender. Over time, she'd learned to deal with it and not let it get her down, but sometimes it was still uncomfortable to be in such a situation.

Passing up the opportunity of a lifetime didn't sit well with her. Just because some men felt threatened by a little healthy completion, didn't mean she wasn't just as good as they were. Women were strong figures and deserved a chance just like every other person did; they were just as good…and sometimes even better than men.

Even though it was hard for her to leave her home and family behind, she consoled herself on the fact that she was making a difference in the world; sometimes you had to make sacrifices for the greater good. This sacrifice however, was more than worth it. San Diego had been good to her over the years, but she always felt she needed more. The opportunity to get out came in the form of a job with the elite Hyperion team. There was a lot of crime in the world and not enough people to fight it.

From a very young age Buffy knew she wanted to be an officer of the law, and as soon as she graduated high school, she'd enrolled in the academy. After graduating, she threw herself into her work as an officer of the San Diego Police Department, and trained in every spare moment she had available.

When a friend suggested she try out for the Special Forces team, she thought it might be a good opportunity to learn more and gain further experience. She never expected to be recommended to the Hyperion's manager for consideration. When her sergeant told her they wanted an interview, she'd been skeptical but did her best to make him proud. To her utter surprise, Mr. Giles offered her a job the very same day and she accepted without a moment's hesitation. After presenting her with a contract, she had two weeks to get her stuff together and move to Los Angeles.

Now, here she stood, a bundle of nerves, about to meet the renowned Hyperion team. It was a widely known fact that the team leader, Liam 'Angelus' Navarro, was a well respected, and sometimes feared, agent. His team were the 'go to's' in the industry. Their methods were sometimes frowned upon, but they always got the job done. Just to be able to say you've met the guy was an accomplishment in its own.

Rumors about him did some rounds, but she never paid them much attention; Buffy always believed not to judge someone until you met them yourself. Some said he was made of stone as he never showed emotions or hesitated to pull the trigger when it came down to it. Others said he was a spoiled brat who was living off his father's money and just used the Hyperion as a cover to smuggle drugs and diamonds. Buffy had burst out laughing when she heard that one. A thirty two year old man could hardly be described as a 'brat', and she for one knew he was a hard worker who earned his reputation as best. Through hard work and determination, he'd built an empire and more people should follow his example.

It was a bit difficult to hide her amazement and wonder as Giles lead her through the mansion. Everything was tastefully decorated in the most lavish furniture with stylish famous art hanging throughout the place. The rooms were about the size of her house, but she kept her comments for herself.

Giles however, noticed her amazement and shed some light on the topic, "The Hyperion team is in very high demand, not only to the government, but also to very wealthy individuals who pay handsomely for their services." Buffy could tell Mr. Giles was very proud of his team and she got the sense he saw the men as more than just a highly trained team. The way he spoke about them gave her the impression that he thought of them as own flesh and blood.

As Giles lead her into a large room filled with entertainment goods, she could hear the men talking and laughing. What she heard as they got closer made her choke back a laugh; most people thought the very same thing about her and over the years it turned from insulting to a huge joke she enjoyed laughing at.

Mr. Giles however, wasn't amused at all by what he heard. Loudly clearing his throat to get their attention, he glared at them as he spoke, "I assure you, Miss Summers is no… 'lesbian butch' with masculinity issues Spike." As his stern voice cut through their laughter, everyone swirled around and at least had the decency to look ashamed at what they overheard…everyone except for one man standing at the far end of the room.

She felt rather than saw their eyes grow wide as they settled their gazes on her. Someone uttered a curse and something else she couldn't quite make out, to which she merely lifted a brow an acknowledgement. It was so quiet you could almost hear a pin drop. Not that she was in a rush to start speaking with them; the seven men standing before her were the most intimidating men she'd ever laid eyes on.

Their muscular and toned physiques were evidence of the vigorous training they did each day. All of them were dressed casually in combat trousers and black shirts. But the most intimidating thing of all was their eyes, each pair told her they'd seen things they would rather forget.

Being in the Special Forces wasn't always great; you saw horrible things and were sometimes driven to do things you would never do normally. Every Special Ops member could tell you the same thing; they'd seen the horrors of what people could do, and along the way, they lost faith in humanity, never to be restored again. These men had that look in their eyes and she felt a strange sympathy for their loss.

Giles lost the scowl on his face as he started talking to them in a much calmer tone, "Gentlemen, this is Buffy Summers, our new recruit. I trust you all will address her with equal respect you do each other. Training starts in fifteen minutes. See you outside. Buffy, if you would follow me, I'll show you to the room you'll be using."

Buffy smiled at the men before she followed Giles out. No one had said a word as she stood with Giles in the room and she suspected they would only near her after the training session or when they felt comfortable enough around her. The room Giles said was hers was amazing. As the only woman on the team, she wasn't expected to share the bathroom with the men, for which she was grateful.

Instead, she got a large guest room next to the men's 'locker room'; it was decorated in black leather and red silk, looking like something out of a home magazine. The large four poster bed was situated against the wall with a dresser and bureau. A closet provided enough space to pack her entire wardrobe and it seemed a shame that it would only hold a fresh pair of clothing for each day. The bathroom was made out of granite and glass, giving it a clean and refreshing look; a shower and bath compliment the design.

Dressing in her training gear took less than two minutes and after looking through the room, she went outside to where Giles and the team members were starting to assemble for training. Looking out at the course before her, Buffy had a feeling she was going to be put through her paces within the next few minutes.

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LIKE EVERYONE else, Angelus was stunned speechless when he saw the petite, blond haired woman standing next to Giles. He'd actually expected the new recruit to be an overweight man-ish woman; not a shockingly beautiful, feminine young woman with bright, expressive green eyes and a body to die for. Wearing basic combats and a slim fitting white t-shirt, she looked good in attire that usually made other women look frumpy; the gear actually added to her appeal.

Guessing by her appearance, he guessed he out weighted her by more than a hundred and fifty pounds and would just reach his shoulder. Even though her clothes hid most of her body, from what he could see, she worked out and looked after herself. To her credit, she didn't ware any makeup or jewelry and looked ready to start training with her hair pulled into a neat pony tail and out of her face.

It took nearly all his energy not to look at her bum when she walked out of the room. He was sure they were all thinking the same thing; 'What the HELL?' And, would she even be able to take down a man more than double her size? He was willing to bet she couldn't. With a small body like hers, she would even be able to wield a gun properly, much less be able to shoot one.

Everyone looked at each other, stunned into complete silence. Spike blinked, then shook his head and left the room; the other members slowly followed him out. Instead of following them to the training area, Angelus went in the opposite direction, ready to have a word with Giles.

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WITHOUT BOTHERING to knock, Angelus pushed open the door to Giles' office. His mentor and manger stood behind his large oak desk, not even bothering to look up from what he was reading, "What can I do for you Angelus?" his voice held no emotion at all, in fact, it seemed like he'd been waiting for him.

Angelus bit back a growl, irritated that Giles could read him so well. "She can't be older than twenty, Giles; she's a child for God's sake. What the hell were you thinking?" he tried his best to keep his voice and temper in check, but with little success.

Giles regarded Angelus with calm determination. When he hired Buffy, he was expecting this reaction from Angelus, but he didn't expect him to call Buffy a child when she was clearly not. Handing the file he was just reading to Angelus, he waited for him to scan the pages.

As Angelus quickly leaved through Buffy's file, he could feel Giles' eyes boring into him. He skipped the history about her life and went right to her professional history. "This means nothing. Just because she handled a few situations well doesn't make her fit for our team." Angelus finally said as he threw the folder down.

"Buffy is the best in her field and she did exceptionally well in the tests. You know I don't take decisions like this very lightly and I wouldn't have hired her if I thought she wouldn't be beneficial for the team. I've made my decision and that's final." Giles hated it when people questioned him and he didn't feel he needed to justify himself to anyone. The only reason why he answered Angelus was because he's never questioned him before and must be feeling pretty rattled now that the new recruit was finally there. It just made it that much more final and Angelus must have thought Giles would second guess his decision. Not likely.

Feeling his blood boil, Angelus turned and walked out of the office for fear he might say something he would regret later. What irritated him the most was how much confidence Giles had in this…girl. So she was twenty four, but that didn't mean anything, not even her shiny record would sway him. He would just have to show Giles then…point his mistake out to him, and the perfect way to do that was have the girl admit she wasn't fit to be part of their team.

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WIPING THE sweat from her brow with a shaky hand, Buffy took a deep breath, feeling her throat burn from the excretion her body was being put through. This training session was quickly turning into the boot camp of hell. Evidently she wasn't as fit as she thought; even with the vigorous training she put herself through every day. The team trained very differently from what she was used to and she noted that she would have to put in some extra time on her treadmill each night if she ever hoped to reach the same level of fitness they were in.

They'd been training for nearly two hours and she was about to top over. Every single muscle in her body screamed in protest and it would be a wonder if she could walk tomorrow. As they were all called over for the final drill, Buffy sent a prayer to the heavens…just twenty more minutes and then she was finished…or would at least be at death's door.

As they walked back to the mansion, Buffy walked a few paces behind everyone else, still trying to catch her breath. Her legs felt like jelly, her back was killing her, and her throat was so dry she had trouble swallowing properly. Gratefully, Giles didn't give her any special treatment, even though she was about to pass out at one point. It wouldn't look good on her at all if the team manager doted on her, and she wanted to be seen as an equal.

"Hey, you did pretty good out there… for the first time." A kind voice said from behind her, causing her to swirl around and look at the source. Groo, as she heard Giles address him, came walking up to her and fell into step beside her as they slowly walked back. He was also breathing a bit harder than normal, but he looked about ready to do the drills all over again.

Buffy smiled, giving a little chuckle, "Thanks, but I still think I might have to come to work in a wheelchair for the next week." Her answer was humorous, but she was feeling every bit as drained as she claimed. Never in her life had she ever suffered as much as she did for the past few hours. She didn't mind admitting that she wasn't up to par with them yet, but she would do her damned best to get there as soon as possible.

A smile broke out on his handsome face and Buffy was relieved that at least someone was talking to her. Laughing lines framed his dark eyes as he chuckled, showing a kindness that was very rear these days. They made idle chit chat as they walked back into the mansion at a slow pace.

Groo found it refreshing to hear someone admit defeat. Obviously Buffy wasn't one to try and hide the fact that she might not be up to par with them yet. Of all the candidates they'd seen this year, Buffy had done the best, even better than he expected. When she cracked the joke, he felt instantly comfortable with her.

When they entered the mansion, he bid her goodbye as he went in his own direction while she headed to her room. Pulling her sweaty shirt from her body, she gave herself a few fans with the wet shirt before pulling a clean one over her head. Even though Giles told her to 'make herself at home', she didn't feel comfortable in the place yet and preferred to shower at home.

Slinging her backpack over her shoulder, she exited the room and pulled the door closed behind her. As she made her way downstairs to the front door, she kept an eye out for Giles even though she knew she might not see him before she left. As she passed the men's locker room, loud laugher erupted, causing her to halt momentarily. Quickly moving along so she didn't get caught, Buffy left the mansion.

As the cab driver guided the car home, Buffy closed her eyes, giving her body a small breather. She wanted nothing more than to have a long hot bath, crawl into bed and sleep for a week straight. Unfortunately, as today proved, she needed to put in extra time to work on her fitness, which meant she wouldn't be getting into bed at least until one in the morning.

Unpacking and organizing her new place could wait until tomorrow. What she needed to do was get herself in shape and she wasn't about to skim on her workouts just because she'd had a rough day. What added to her benefit was the fact that she was an insomniac and often went days with no more than a few hours sleep. Being an insomniac was a curse sometimes and a blessing at others, tonight would count as a blessing.

When she arrived home, she shuffled past the boxes littering her floor and went straight to the kitchen. Grabbing a sandwich she made that morning, she ate it while refilling her water bottle. The house was a mess but she didn't even notice it, at least one room was sorted out. The most important rooms were her bedroom and training room with her exercise equipment. Placing her i-pod earphones in her ears, she started the playlist and lost herself in running…hoping to run herself into exhaustion.

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GUNN PULLED his dirty shirt over his head, glad to have the plaster like cloth removed, "Well…I sure as HELL didn't expect that!" Collective agreements filled the room as everyone started talking at once. Shaking his head, he thought back to when Giles brought the woman in to introduce her. He spoke for everyone when he said he couldn't have been more surprised.

Casually leaning against the wall, Forrest agreed, "She's hot, I nearly choked on my drink when Giles brought her in. No wonder he left us hanging until the last second." Okay so maybe he was pleased that the new recruit was nice to look at, he was sure the other men agreed. Over the years he'd seen his fare share of butch women and despite Buffy's line of work, she was still feminine and retained her womanly curves where others didn't, or took on a more manly appearance. He for one was going to look forward to the training sessions much more now that she was there.

"Well 'm not going to lie and say I don't like what I see…" Lindsay started to say but his words cut off as he was thrown with a shirt, getting hit right in the face. Pulling the garment from his face with a laugh, he admitted that she wasn't at all what he expected. The new recruit was actually a real stunner and not a freak show like everyone guessed. Everyone had something to say, and it wasn't all bad; they were actually impressed by her.

Angelus remained quiet at first, listening to his men go on about the hot piece of ass that was now part of their team. Unlike the rest of them, he wasn't impressed by her performance at all. She'd slacked behind most of the time and when she finally caught up, the routine changed and she fell behind again. "Being hot doesn't make you tough, and it sure as hell doesn't mean she's good enough for the team." Shoving his towel into the basked with a little too much force, without looking at them, he turned to leave the room.

Groo's words stopped him, "Giles wouldn't have hired her if she wasn't good, she just needs time to adjust. Every one of us struggled the first few weeks we joined the team." Groo watched Angelus cautiously as the words sunk in. Throughout the training session, he's seen the way Angelus eyed Buffy; he had pure murder in his eyes. Even though they didn't know her yet, he thought she deserved a chance, just like everyone else.

The room went silent as Angelus slowly turned and stared at Groo. Groo didn't waver under his harsh eyes; he knew Angelus was angry and just acting out as a way to deal with the situation. Angelus had always been a great team leader, and thought they have erupted in a few fights among them, they always resolved it right away. Angelus might glare dagger at him now, but he would apologize as soon as he calmed down.

Taking a deep calming breath, Angelus loosened his fists. He knew he shouldn't be angry at Groo for voicing his opinion. Out of everyone, he was the most level headed and open minded; he always came up for everyone and saw the positive in even the most dire situation. He liked Groo, respected him and trusted the man with his life…he just wasn't very fond of him at this exact moment.

If Groo thought she deserved a chance; that was his opinion. Angelus had his own opinion and everyone knew how he felt about the girl joining the team. Turning, he strolled out of the room, needing to get away and clear his head. Having that girl around was causing his temper to rise to new heights and he needed to let off some steam. Pushing the gym door open, he headed for the treadmill.

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ARRIVING EARLY at the mansion the next morning, Buffy felt fresh and ready to start the day and the training. Throughout the day, the team introduced themselves and she got acquainted with the premises and how they operated. At the end of the day, Giles discussed an upcoming mission and Buffy was delighted to learn she was going out in the field sooner than she thought.

The next few days followed in a similar manner, with training starting early in the mornings and ending late at night. Gradually she started to relax around the team and them around her. The only thing that bothered her was Angelus; he never introduced himself and never even looked at, or spoke to her. When she tried to even out the field and make the first move, he stared blankly at her offered hand, then pushed past her and left the room.

Menace leaked from him and even if they weren't in the same room together, she felt uneasy and like she was being watched. She'd never caught him looking at her and she wasn't sure if that was a good or a bad thing; his dark, cold eyes unnerved her more than she would like to admit.

Over the years she'd gotten used to the hostility directed at her because of her gender and looks; Angelus wasn't the first one to make his distaste known. It stopped bothering her after a while and now she mostly just brushed it off, not caring what people thought. But it was a bit difficult with Angelus; they were on the same team and had to work together; if there was animosity between them, it would only make the situation strenuous for everyone involved.

She might be confident in herself and her abilities, but Angelus needed to be confident in her as well. They needed to relay on one another as they held each other's lives in their hands while on missions and she needed to know he had her back; just like he needed to know she would cover him. Maybe he just needed a little more time to adjust and she could understand and respect that.

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THREE WEEKS LATER

BUFFY LAUGHED softy to herself as she looked over at Gunn. He was making yet another joke, this time directed at Lindsey, and she couldn't help but laugh at him. As usual, he was joking around, poking fun at whoever was closest to him at the moment. Lately he'd been warming up to her, even joking around with her as well. Luckily for her, his attention wasn't focused on her this time and she could laugh along with the others as he pestered Lindsey.

Gunn lived with his nineteen year old sister as he didn't want her to be living alone just yet; his sister didn't seem to mind in the least and also did it mostly to put her brother at ease. It was nice seeing someone care so much about their younger sibling. Where most people would rather do their own thing, Gunn preferred to keep close to her by sharing a house and looking after her.

Lindsey, with his long, light brown hair and Texan drawl was a real ladies man and he even tried pulling his moves on her rather often. After Buffy shot him down, he would always remain flirtatious and tell her he'd wait for her until she was ready, which was funny as it seemed he was actually serious. She understood why he was as confident as he is; he always had a beautiful woman wrapped around his arm when he wasn't working and never lacked companionship of the fairer sex.

Secretly Buffy wished she had just half of his confidence. She'd never been comfortable approaching people and Lindsey made it looks so easy. Not that she would even try it though; Buffy was a loner by nature and the only people she came in contact with were her colleges, family and lifelong friends. It suited her just fine that men didn't approach her, as she wanted to focus on her career instead of having her heart broken again. A relationship just wasn't in the cards for her just yet and she had no problem with that.

Spike, the resident 'bad ass' was a real wild card, always taking risks and looking for his next adrenaline rush. He loved three things; his job as a special ops agent, drinking, and 'Passions'. When she saw him watching the soap opera one night after training, she thought she'd gone mad. After some persuasion, he'd actually convinced her to watch a few minutes with him and now they watched it together whenever she was staying late after training.

She'd often wondered why he lived at the mansion with Angelus and Gunn told her he'd lost his wife a few years ago. The loss devastated him and Angelus didn't want him to be alone, so he crashed at Angelus' and never left. He seemed to be doing well but Buffy could tell he was sad and very lonely at times. He didn't speak about her at all and even though she knew it would do him good to talk about her, she kept quiet and understood that he dealt with it in his own way. She'd seen a picture of his wife Drusilla once, and there couldn't have been a better suited couple. Drusilla's jet black hair complimented Spike's peroxide appearance. Buffy wasn't sure, but she guessed his 'Passions' obsession had something to do with his wife.

Groo, 'the gentleman' as she secretly called him, was like the big brother she never had. With his kind heart and easy going personality, they got along right off the bat. He loved discussing weapons and fighting techniques, which she found fascinating and very educational at the same time. Recently, Buffy met his significant other, a talent agent named Cordelia Chase; her glamorous life intrigued Buffy but she was more than happy to have a normal life, no matter how great the jet setting lifestyle might sound.

Forrest reminded Buffy of a college football player with his ever present slang and silly remarks. His wide shoulders and spiky hair made him look like a linebacker, which was rather intimidating, until you got to know him better; now he just seemed like an overgrown teddy bear with a personality disorder. He had absolutely no tact and said whatever he was thinking, whenever he was thinking it, no matter who he offended.

Graham was the serious one of the group which was a bit strange seeing as all the others were so laid back. After training sessions he would either clean his guns for hours, or he would go over strategies with a few of the other men who would listen. His theories were very interesting and Buffy sometimes lost herself in the conversation, imagining the plays he described.

Angelus on the other hand, was a whole different story. At first she thought he was just distant and liked to keep to himself, but she soon found out that wasn't the case. He just didn't like her. They hardly spoke and on the rare occasion that they had to speak, his tone was clipped and short, revealing how he felt towards her. They mostly steered clear of each other and kept their distance. His attitude towards her was a clear enough indication that he didn't want her there so she made herself scarce whenever she could.

While training and on missions, Buffy couldn't help but stare at him in awe and admiration. He was better than his reputation indicated; his well trained body could handle anything, evidence of the few years he served with the SEALS. He was team leader with good reason; he never faltered and handled even the most strenuous situations with calmness and efficiency.

Even though he usually remained quiet when she was around, she could tell he cared for, and deeply respected, each member of his team. Without a doubt, he would put his life on the line for any one of them. He was a great role model and though she would never admit it to anyone, he inspired her to be the best agent she could be. To achieve what he had in his life was amazing and she could only hope to be as well respected as him some day.

The most surprising thing about Angelus was that he's a great cook and usually cooked meals for the team at the end of a long day. She's only stayed for dinner twice but she knew she was making it uncomfortable for him in his own home, so she usually politely declined their requests; the look in his dark eyes told her he was relieved each time she said no.

Like she suspected, Giles was like the father figure of the team and over the past few weeks she saw him as a father away from home. Not only did he make her feel valued and welcome, but she felt she could really trust him with anything and he would never judge her. His wisdom and leadership proved what a great man he is. With his cup of tea in hand, he seemed content and more than happy to put up with the men…and her.

After a long day, Buffy was grateful to retreat to her place and have some peace and quiet. All of her things weren't unpacked yet but she was slowly making progress by unpacking at least one box a night after she finished at the mansion. The insomnia wasn't any better but at least she used that to her advantage by training more; and it seemed to have helped.

Buffy enjoyed her time alone, but she still missed her parents and friends. Back home in San Diego, there were always people around, or someone she could go to when she was feeling down or lonely. The only thing that kept her company now was her i-pod, and occasionally when she stayed late at the mansion. It was hard being away from her people for long periods of time, but like everything else, she'd learned to adapt and make the best of her situation. And her current situation wasn't one to complain about; she was happy where she was and would make the best of it no matter what.

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HYPERION MANSION

THE WEEK before her fist official mission with the team was scheduled; Giles left to attend a meeting in New York, leaving Angelus in charge of drill training. Even though her fitness levels were much better after all the extra exercising, Buffy knew it wasn't going to help her today. The look in his eyes was evidence enough of that. She didn't mind, actually welcomed the challenge, and she was more than willing to take him on.

Angelus felt pure satisfaction course through him when Giles left and he was to take over training for a few days. Deliberately throwing Buffy a evil glare, he wanted to rub his hands in anticipation for what he had in store for her. It seemed a wonderful opportunity to push her to her limits and test her fitness level a bit. Despite her progress in the other fields, he wanted to push her as far as he could.

When he arrived outside, Buffy was standing around and talking with Graham, no doubt discussing the upcoming mission. As usual, she was dressed in sweat pants and a tank top. Even though it was a hot day, she didn't wear those tight, butt skimming shorts most women insisted on wearing these days, so he had to give her points for that. She never flaunted her body or paraded in front of them in inappropriate attire. He saw her briefly look over at him before settling her attention back on Graham. When he called everyone and started going over the routine he planned out, he felt strangely more aware of her eyes on him.

An hour later, Buffy was almost ready to admit defeat. Angelus was relentless as he drilled them, pushing everyone to extremes and not letting up even when Forrest cursed at him. She knew he was doing it just to get at her but she still had some energy left and wouldn't give up until she passed out…which would probably happen within the next few minutes. By the look on the men's faces, they weren't faring much better either.

As they were running backwards, she collided into someone, and to her horror, it was into the person she did her best to avoid. Running into him felt like ramming into a solid wall and the force nearly sent Buffy to the ground. His strong hands reached out and steadied her by the shoulders. When he snapped his hands back, it was obvious he was just as surprised as she was. Yelping, she jumped away as quickly as possible, putting much needed distance between them.

"Watch where you're going." Angelus ground out through clenched teeth as he glared at her, his heated eyes burning a hole right through her. She mumbled an apology and was relieved to see he'd already moved on and hadn't heard her. Her skin felt tight from where he touched her moments ago but she chalked it up to the heat. She was pretty sure he was just smirking at the fact that she nearly kissed the ground and he didn't even miss a step.

Of their own accord, her eyes trailed his every movement. She tried telling herself she kept looking at him to try and follow his movements, but that got boring after the twentieth repeat. Keeping her eyes off him was a challenge in its own; his muscular physique drew attention and she was no dead fish; Angelus was strikingly handsome and his fluid movements only added to his appeal. Wouldn't he just have a gag if he found out she thought he was attractive?

Dropping her eyes down to her feet to concentrate on her own movements, she tried pushing the image of his body from her mind…correction…from her filthy, disturbed mind. Strange how she never found most men attractive and the one that she couldn't keep her eyes off, couldn't stand the sight of her.

The second her gaze dropped, Angelus' eyes flicked to her. Buffy was breathing hard, trying to keep up, and mostly doing a good job, until a few second ago when she ran into him. He didn't see her coming as he was concentrating on his own movements; but the second he felt skin against his, he knew it was her. Without thinking, he reached out and steadied her, an instinctual response…but only when it came to her it seemed. If it had been one of the men, he would just have ploughed over them. When she gasped and pulled away, he wondered briefly if he handled her too hard, but the shock in her eyes told him that wasn't the issue. Gritting his teeth, he muttered a curse and scolded her before moving as far from her as he could get.

His eyes strayed to her more than he would like to admit. As her body moved to keep up, her chest heaved from exertion, causing her breasts to move up higher on her chest and grab his attention. Every time she bent down, her tank top hiked up, exposing her slim hips and lower back. The jogging pants she wore clung to her like a second skin and emphasized her ample behind.

To his dismay, the other members of his team also stared approvingly at her as she moved, and he was sure they had to do some readjusting in the lower regions to hide rather embarrassing bulges. Buffy remained totally oblivious to the attention she was getting and concentrated only on her movements and keeping up. He might have been in the same boat as them, but his anger kept his libido and hormones at bay very well. He approved of her body and admired her determination, but that didn't change how he felt about her.

Buffy groaned at the pain in her legs and back from the running and jumping they'd been doing for the past few hours. It was evident by the smirk on his face that he was enjoying seeing her suffer and wasn't about to stop in the near future. That smirk however, only made her more determined to succeed and prove herself. Maybe if she just showed him she wasn't as bad as he thought, he might open up to her.

When he finally called them to stop a few minutes later, Buffy heaved a sigh of relief. Instead of catching her breath outside with all the other members, she followed Angelus into the mansion, hoping to talk with him privately. The door to the men's locker room swung shut just as she rounded the corner. Buffy took a deep breath and pushed the door open.

Halting dead in her tracks, Buffy could only stare at the sight of a half naked Angelus. As he moved around, his back rippled and his arms muscles corded as he threw his shirt down into a basket at his feet. She had yet to see the front of him but there was no doubt in her mind that he had washboard abs and a well defined chest. There she went again…her filthy mind running away with her. Seeing him naked shouldn't affect her like it did, in fact, it should effect her at all. Buffy decided she had some serious self evaluation to do.

Clearing her throat to alert him to his presence, Buffy hoped this would go better than their previous encounters. He usually just ignored her or grunted a reply, not the ideal reaction when you were trying to get to know someone.

Angelus glanced over his shoulder at her but remained quiet, instead releasing a sigh she was sure meant he wasn't in the mood to talk to her. "Um…Angelus, can we talk?" her voice was soft but firm, hoping he would throw her a bone and for once just acknowledge her presence, instead of ignoring her like he usually did.

Without turning to look at her, Angelus said in a detached voice, "Only my friends call me Angelus, and seeing as you're not my friend, you can call me Liam." He meant the comment to sound casual, but she picked up the menace rather clearly. Was he seriously going down this path? Did it really matter to him what name she used to address him?

Buffy frowned at him, realizing he wasn't going to make this easy for her, "Okay. Can we talk _Liam_?" his name was said with a slight sneer before she could stop herself. He was pestering her, drawing her out and she was playing right into his hands. Angelus' back remained turned to her and even though she found it disrespectful, she decided not to push it and take the chance while she had it.

"What could we possibly have to talk about?" he mumbled while busying himself with something in his locker. When he heard her clear her voice he threw a glance at her over his shoulder. She was still standing in the same spot, wringing her hands and no doubt collecting her thoughts before she talked. He hated to admit, but her voice was soft and inviting. Even after he drilled her to an inch of her life, she remained calm and respectful. It seemed she had a good grip on her temper but he was going to enjoy testing her. Strange that she suddenly seemed so uncomfortable when she was usually so nonchalant around him.

Buffy looked down at her hands as she started speaking, feeling suddenly uneasy to know his attention was focused on her, "Well, I was hoping we could try and be …civil…with each other. Seeing as we're on the same team and need to work…" Her statement died abruptly as he interrupted her.

Angelus finally turned around, "Let's get one thing straight. _You_ are not a part of this team, and you never will be, no matter how hard you try. For some idiotic reason, Giles decided to bring you in, not me and not the team, but he'll realize his mistake soon enough. So let's cut the crap about being friends, because it's not going to happen." The fact that she considered herself as part of his team nearly made him explode. She had no right to even presume that, let alone voice it to him. Buffy was still clearly under the perception that she was accepted among everyone; and that would never happen.

Buffy could do nothing but stare wide eyed at Angelus. His face was burning in anger and menace radiated off him in waves. There was no longer any doubt in her mind that he didn't like her one bit. She found it hurtful that he judged her so harshly when he clearly didn't know her at all. Sure people had their differences but this was bordering on the insane; she was going to be totally honest and say that Angelus hated her.

He was no different from any of the other people she came in contact with over the years in her line of work. Just because she was a young woman, he believed she was inexperienced and not fit enough to do her job. Just like everyone else, she got to where she was through hard work and sheer determination, and here he was, making assumptions about her that couldn't be father from the truth.

Buffy realized she was staring at him but she couldn't help it, she still found it hard to believe that her team leader didn't want her there and thought her unfit to be part of his team. His eyes nailed her in place as she felt the heat of it burn her to her core; she looked down at her hands, defeated and dejected at his attitude and lack of respect. Not that she would give up without a fight. If that was the way he wanted to play it, then she was up for the challenge.

When he turned his back on her again, it was a clear dismissal; he might as well have shouted at her to leave the room. Pulling herself together, Buffy left the room. With each step she took, she felt fresh determination course through her. If that was the way he wanted to act towards her, that was his decision, but she wasn't about to buckle under pressure. Angelus just made the mistake of judging her…and he was going to swallow his words.

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IN THE next two months, nothing changed between them, much Buffy's irritation and Angelus' disappointment. They avoided each other like the plague and when they absolutely had to talk to each other, they were fighting or bickering. The team members found it entertaining but Buffy hated it and sometimes had to restrain herself from slapping Angelus. It wouldn't look good if one of his team members retaliated and attacked him now would it? Sure she would probably be pulled off him or he might fight back, but the thought of landing at least one punch sounded worth the trouble.

Angelus was surprised by her perseverance and determination; where others would have given up under the pressure, Buffy seemed to take it in stride and carry on. For the most part he was irritated that Buffy didn't pay him much mind and always hit right back when he said something to her. However, he wasn't easily bluffed and could read Buffy like a book. She always kept her cool but he saw the fire in her eyes. On more than one occasion he was sure Buffy would jump and attack him; he was actually hoping she would, but she never did.

He hated to admit but Buffy was actually efficient and level minded on the missions they'd been on together. She remained calm and in control when the situation would have other people screaming from fear. She followed orders well and never hesitated, traits that few of the other team members lacked. They were civil with each other on missions, just like she asked, but other than that, they couldn't stand the sight of each other. To add insult to injury, the team actually liked her and got along with her like she'd been part of them for years rather than just a few short weeks.

Surprisingly even Spike liked her, and he didn't like anybody. Spike was always in inappropriate asshole and oddly didn't subject Buffy to that; instead he treated her like a little sister and always invited her to stay and watch 'Passions' with him. It seemed odd but Buffy handled Spike well and he seemed to be opening up for the first time since his wife died. Although he didn't stop drinking all together, he started cutting down and rather drank coffee or ice tea with Buffy when they were together.

What really surprised Angelus was when Spike nearly lashed out at Lindsey when he made a sexual comment about Buffy; something about her minus her usually training gear. Clearly that didn't sit well with Spike; he took Lindsey by the neck, gave a rough shake then unleashed a good tongue lashing that Buffy wasn't just another one of his one night stands, and deserved to be treated with respect. Lindsey was just as surprised as everyone else and backed off immediately; he even apologized, and he never apologized for anything.

Angelus knew Spike didn't see Buffy in a romantic light, but he strangely felt pleased that Spike stood up for her. Everyone knew Lindsey was only ever interested in a woman until she slept with him, then she was discarded and never thought of again. Even though he didn't know Buffy, he knew she wasn't the one night stand type of person. She and Lindsey might make a good couple, but he squashed the thought before it could even take root. Buffy and Lindsey together was not an image he wanted to see or even think about.

When she entered the room while Spike and Lindsey were 'engaged' in their heated debate, everyone tried to act casual but she wasn't fooled even though she would never find out what the tension was about. Spike threw Lindsey a heated glare behind her back and Lindsey wisely didn't comment or make another move on her…for a few days anyway.

Even Graham who was usually the most serious and uptight of them all started relaxing around her; it was no secret that he liked it when Buffy joined into his discussions about weapons and tactics and Buffy seemed genuinely interested in whatever he had to say about the subjects. On more than one occasion, Angelus noticed that Buffy was completely absorbed in the conversations she and Graham had; totally living herself into the scenarios he described.

Giles was like a proud father and Angelus found that rather nauseating; he gloated silently every time she did well. Angelus would never admit it to anyone but he did notice she'd improved over the past few weeks. If he didn't know any better, he was sure she put some extra training in. That was something he could respect; he'd done the same thing when they started the team twelve years ago, knowing he should set an example for his team mates.

He was ever mindful of where she was, just to make sure to avoid her; he expected her to try and talk to him again but she never did and he thought he was grateful for that. She kept her distance and was always far away from him, except when they had to work on missions. Lately he was dismayed to see that she never looked him in the eyes unless she was totally pissed off at him. As her team leader, he demanded a certain amount of respect and even though she wasn't disrespectful outright, he found it irritating that it was so easy for her to brush him off.

The team however found it refreshing that someone finally stood up to him, even more so that it was a woman, and there was always lots of comments after he and Buffy had a go at each other. Now he found out the team started placing bets about who would win…disgraceful…he wondered who bet on who. Because it sure seemed like his team mates were having a blast at the expense of him and Buffy.

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GUNN INVITED everyone for a barbeque at his parent's house that weekend, and despite his audible groan, Buffy accepted the invite; he was sure she accepted merely to work on his nerves. From the information in her file, he knew she moved from San Diego and didn't have any family or friend in the area, so it was no wonder she accepted to get out of her house and interact with new people, she was probably starved for some interaction with people other than the team.

Gunn's mother took to Buffy immediately and he strangely felt betrayed by the older woman because she liked Buffy so quickly. Seeing as she was his enemy, Gunn's mother should have been on his side, not the new intruder's.

When she arrived with a homemade pie, he deliberately didn't eat of it; unfortunately, Gunn's sister Alonna, noticed and stuffed a bite in his mouth before he could shut his trap. He briefly thought of spitting it out but new that would be childish and earn him a slap from Alonna and a scolding from Gunn's mother; however, the pie tasted good and he actually thought of going for seconds.

Buffy looked totally different in casual jeans and a fitted shirt; while her combat gear hid most of her body, Angelus knew how good she looked in her workout attire, this look made her seem more relaxed and normal. Sure he wasn't blind, Buffy was a beautiful woman, but he never took the time to appreciate her beauty as he was too busy hating her. Now, despite his better judgment, he took the time to cast an appreciative look at her. In all honesty, Buffy was the perfect woman; small and feminine but with enough attitude to keep him on his toes and entertained.

To his irritation, Lindsey also noticed and decided to stay close to her the entire day. It bothered him even more when he saw Buffy actually having a good time with him. Ever the flirt, Lindsey tried his luck again and asked her to join him on a date; she politely declined but she didn't say no…which bothered Angelus more than it should. He also knew that Lindsey wouldn't give up that easily and would continue trying his luck until he won her over.

Forrest threw in that Lindsey was the equivalent of a male gigolo and would never settle down. Lindsey cleverly countered by saying he would settle down as soon as Buffy agreed to date him, "after all, what more could a man want if he has a woman like her to keep him satisfied…" as he said the words, he looked Buffy straight in the eye and gave her a seductive wink, to which she blushed a deep shade of crimson. To Angelus' joy, Alonna followed with a kick to his shin and diverted the attention from the subject.

By the look on Buffy's face, she was surprised and he couldn't help but wonder if she was starting to consider taking him up on the offer. She was after all a young woman in the prime of her life and he was sure she didn't lack offers. But in the few months she'd been with them, he got the impression that her career was more important than a relationship at the moment…he could only speculate if that was truly the case.

He wasn't blind at all, and he didn't lie to himself; Buffy's a beautiful woman, anyone within a ten mile radios could see just how breathtaking she was. But she never seemed to notice the attention she got from the other sex. Even when on missions and they worked with other agencies, she never deviated from the mission and never gave any of the male agents a second thought…even when they were all but drooling over her.

She was always focused and concentrated on the matter at hand. Not even sparing them a second glance. Just a few weeks ago while they were on a mission, one of the men asked Gunn about her. Angelus stood close enough to hear and listened in on the conversation with peaked interest. Graham also heard and soon burst the man's bubble when he told her she was off limits. Thank god for Graham…it would seriously have ruined his reputation if he ripped the man apart for just thinking he had a chance with Buffy…the woman he couldn't stand.

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HYPERION MANSION

PICKING UP the small garment from the floor, Angelus cursed loudly. Buffy just passed through the room a few minutes ago and a shirt dropped from her over stuffed backpack. Seeing as she had her hands full, she left it to first put her stuff down. Just as Buffy entered the room, he flung the shirt at her, hitting her square in the face, "Would you mind picking up you're shit from my floor." He growled as he stalked past her, eager to put some space between them.

Buffy pulled the shirt from her face and threw her own glare at him, "What the hell is you're problem? I was just about to pick it up." Angelus was acting like a child and at first she found it funny, now it was just irritating. He always had something to scold her about and the fallen shirt was just the most recent in a very long line.

"Just stop leaving your stuff all over my place." He ground out as he stalked from the room, leaving a fuming Buffy behind. Okay, so he knew she didn't do it on purpose, but everything related to her just drove him crazy and it was getting harder and harder to control his temper around her.

As Angelus entered the entertainment room, he saw Gunn sitting on the couch, totally absorbed in the game he was playing. Angelus tried taking a few calming breaths as he paced up and down. It did nothing to help.

Gunn risked glance over in his direction, knowing there could only be one reason Angelus was so worked up. "What did she do this time, O' great one?" he chuckled as he heard Angelus growl at him. He didn't even glance away from the screen; he knew what Angelus looked like after an encounter with their female agent. He was usually fuming with a thunderous look on his face that told everyone to steer clear or get caught in the crossfire.

Angelus considered unplugging the console while Gunn was busy playing; let's see if he's still laughing then. He knew better than to get upset with Gunn. Over time, the team members had learned not to defend Buffy to him; Gunn however had fun pestering him with everything he could, and Buffy was always a sore spot with Angelus. "She leaves her shit all over the place…all over _MY_ place."

Gunn frowned as he listened to his friend, everyone knew he resented Buffy for joining the team, but he thought Angelus would have gotten over that by now. Buffy had already proven herself to them in the field and they all know she was more than just any other women, plus she had a great personality and enough guts to take on their feared leader. Everyone has taken to her, except Angelus and he didn't understand why she worked him up so much. "Gees man, give her a break, I'm sure she didn't do it on purpose." Gunn tired to sound disinterested as he knew Angelus might just blow up at him.

A whistle sounded from the door and Lindsey casually strolled. One look at Angelus' face and he looked over at Gunn before asking, "What did she do this time?" Gunn stifled a laugh as Angelus growled at Lindsey and stalked out of the room. Was he that obvious? Even though Lindsey tried whispering, Angelus still heard him, "I wonder what he'll do if she starts hanging her underwear in the bathroom." Gunn's hysterical laughter followed carried through the entire ground floor.

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LOOKING OVER the clipboard in his hands, Giles took some more notes before addressing the team. Everyone was assembled in the large gym area, waiting on instructions. Before every arrived, Giles pulled out the sparring mats, thinking today would be good to see how the team members matched up against each other and to brush up on their contact training. Like training with weapons and doing fitness training, it was important for the team to engage in contact training as well, some situations couldn't always be settled with a gun and then strength came in to play. "Graham, you and Gunn can start." Giles said without looking up from his board, already scribbling away.

When Buffy saw the mats laid out when they entered the gym, she got excited, hoping to do a little sparing; it's been a while since she engaged in any sparring but she loved it. Unlike the treadmill she had at home, she didn't have any mats or a big enough room to spar in, much less someone to practice with. This would be the first time they sparred together and she was almost giddy with excitement

Focusing her attention on the two men circling each other on the floor, Buffy made mental notes of how they moved and what their techniques were. They didn't fool around and got right into it; Graham dominated most of the time but she could see Gunn's body getting ready to strike. Crouching low, Gunn swept his feet out and sent Graham down to the floor in one sweep. Graham took a few seconds to catch his breath and took Gunn's offered hand to get up. It was good to see these men didn't hold grudges like most did after a sparring match and just continued on like nothing happened afterwards.

"Buffy, you and Angelus are next." Giles said, still engrossed in his clipboard. She sat up straight, thinking she must have heard wrong. Was Giles serious about her and Angelus going against each other in a sparring match? He knew Angelus couldn't stand her and it would most likely erupt into a protest or a huge fight before they even reached the mats.

When Giles threw a curious look at her still seated frame, Buffy quickly stood up and went down to the mat where Angelus was already getting ready and discarding his shirt. Buffy couldn't help but throw a desperate look in Giles' direction, still thinking he might laugh and tell her he was joking. Not so much it seemed.

Angelus did a double take when he heard his and Buffy's names being called to spar next. Giles must be punishing him, he knew how he felt about Buffy and to put them against each other in contact training was possibly the second worst idea he ever had. Looking at Buffy's face, he could see she was just as surprised as he was. As he stood before her, ready to begin, he deliberately grinned at her, eager to get started and show her just how out of her league she was. This would be the perfect opportunity to take her down in front of everyone, proving his point to Giles and the team.

An uppercut punch flew at her before she even settled her gaze on her sparring partner. Barely managing to block the punch, Buffy stepped to the side, raising her arms to protect her midsection. As Angelus came at her with full force, she realized what his intent was. Every time she tried landing a punch, he would lash out or block her. Although she managed to land a few punches and kicks, Angelus didn't even break a sweat while she was heaving for breath. He liked toying with her, making her think she might land a punch, but he stepped away and she narrowly missed her target. She knew Angelus was trained in most combat and fighting arts and he used it to his advantage; constantly mixing his techniques, never giving her a chance to read him or follow his fluid movements.

Buffy bit back a curse as Angelus landed another punishing blow to her side, her breath left her but she instantly recovered and evaded the next punch aimed at her abdomen. During the few minutes they were sparring, his fist nearly made contact with her face a few times and she was sure he wouldn't mind if she walked away with a blue eye or even a limp. All the better reason to reinforce his point.

Throughout the sparring session, she could see the enjoyment sparkle in his dark eyes; see that he would do anything to prove his point and take her down. Even though Buffy was still standing, she was favoring her right leg where he landed a kick just moments ago, her midriff ached from all the punches he landed and she barely had any breath left.

Angelus smirked again as he moved in for his final move. This sparring session had been a blast. Buffy didn't know how easy it was for him to read to her; her eyes expressed everything going on inside her, exposing her and leaving her vulnerable. Anger flashed inside her, not once did he see an inkling of fear, maybe she was too confident that he wouldn't hurt her. He's show her just how wrong she was.

When the trademark grin spread over Angelus' face, Buffy knew he was going in for the final blow. Determination and anger flashed through his eyes and he moved closer to her. As his fist flew out, aimed at her aching midsection, she ducked to the left at the last possible second, evading the blow. While he towered over her, Buffy struck out and instead connected into his exposed abdomen from below. His breath whooshed out from the force, and she used his momentary distraction to her advantage; crouching even lower, she swept out her leg in a determined sweep, connected with his ankles and using his weight against him, sending his towering bulk to the ground in a second.

As air was harshly expelled from his lungs, and he hit the floor a second later, Angelus was stunned motionless. For such a small woman she sure packed a mean punch and he was going to have a bruise the next day; at least he gave her some too. Defeat was bitter pill to swallow…not that he would admit she won. Seems like he underestimated Buffy's determination and strength; that cost him the fight and he was not going to hear the end of it anytime soon, Spike must be having field day with this. As he thought about it now, he actually admired her more for getting the upper hand over him; never in seventeen years had anyone managed to defeat him.

Pulling much needed air into his lungs as he stood up, he threw a glare at Buffy. A tingling sensation crept up his spine as he found she was looking right at him. Groo stepped in his way, cutting her from his view. Spike came over with a huge grin on his face, "I haven't laughed so hard since before Dru died. Man that girl put you in your place." Angelus wasn't surprised that Spike immediately came over to rub it in his face, what surprised him was that Spike mentioned Dru for the first time since she died four years ago. At least one good thing came out of this match.

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REACHING INTO the shower, Buffy turned the dials all the way open to get the water heated before she stepped in. Steam started filling the room as she pulled her shirt over her head and inspected the marks covering her torso. Covered in angry red blotches, her skin practically glowed from where Angelus' fist connected with her. Unbuttoning her pants, she looked at the bruise already forming on her ribs, another gift courtesy of Angelus and his powerful kicks.

As the water roared in the shower, she didn't hear the bathroom door open and close silently. One moment she was inspecting her injuries and the next she was spun around and slammed into the cold tile wall. A gasp fell from her lips as a face settled inches from her own. A hard body pressed against hers, pinning her in place and giving her no chance to escape or even contemplate getting free of his hold, "Have fun out there?" Angelus said through clenched teeth. The fact that he pushed her into the wall with enough force to hit her head didn't even register in his mind.

"What the hell are you doing?" panicked, Buffy pressed against his still naked chest to try and get him to move back. Instead of giving in and moving away, Angelus pressed her more insistently against the wall with his body. Buffy was only guessing, but she was pretty sure she heard an actual growl escape him. By the look in his eyes, he reveled in the fact that he caught her off guard and nearly scared her to death.

As her hands fell away from his chest and settled at her side, Angelus momentarily missed the heat of her palms again him. He'd discarded his shirt before they started sparring and in his haste to corner Buffy, he hadn't put it back on yet. Now he had her half naked body pressed beneath his, her sports bra the only thing that shielded her from his eyes. Luckily she still had her pants on, even if they were unbuttoned and he could see a peak of her black underwear; god knew he thought about it enough. Just as he silently approached her, he noticed a small birth mark on her ribs; the skin tinted a slightly deeper shade of pink then her skin.

Being with her in a confined space like this made him aware of every single thing about her. The room smelled like her, the ever present aroma of her invading his nostrils and encouraging him to take another deep whiff and draw it deeper into his lungs. Her belongings stacked neatly around the counter. Even the hall smelled like vanilla after she showered and left for the day.

"You ever throw a stunt like that again…you won't like the repercussions. I'm not someone to play with, little girl." He sneered, his breath warm against her skin, causing goose bumps rise all over her body. He must have noticed her reaction because he tilted his head ever so slightly, like he was surprised. Buffy resisted the urge to cover her body with her arms; he didn't need to know how exposed she felt at the moment; like she was naked before him.

Her eyes turned a darker shade of their normal emerald as she fired back at him, "I was just defending myself Liam. You came at me like a raging bull, what was I supposed to do?" He wanted to fight with her about winning and losing in a damn sparring match, was he serious? It was just a test, nothing significant to blow up over and invade her personal space like he was doing now.

Buffy became increasingly aware of the power his body housed as he stood before her. She wanted to press at his chest again and get him to back up, but she kept her hands at her sides, knowing he wouldn't budge and inch, and momentarily wondering if he might lash out at her again. Buffy knew Angelus wasn't thinking clearly, but even in his current state of mind, he would never lift his hand to her, or any woman in anger. But just the thought that he would attack her like this made her weary of him.

Angelus regarded her with stone cold eyes, "I thought you didn't want special treatment. You're the one who wanted to be treated as an equal. And when the _men_ fight, we don't hold back." Stating the obvious yet again, to make her feel inferior to the rest of the team. The fact that she wanted to be treated as an equal burned her now. Yes she didn't want special treatment, but she never expected his resentment towards her to run so deep that he would come at her full force. Even though she was strong, she would never match him in physical strength, as he made clear in the gym.

She wanted to fling back a snippy retort, but she had none, and instead remained silent, her eyes speaking for her without her knowledge. Truth was, she was drained from their constant bickering and fighting; It took most of her energy to keep up the pretense in front of him. Insanely, Angelus had managed to break down her walls and cause havoc inside her usually organized life.

When he saw she wasn't going to say anything, he felt victorious. He kept her pressed against the cold wall a few seconds more to enforce his point, then pushed away from her slowly. He couldn't help it when his eyes trailed over her body one last time before he left the room. Maybe he should have waited until after she showered; that way he wouldn't have burned the image of her half naked body pressed against his so permanently in his brain.

As the door closed with a soft thud behind him, Buffy released the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. Hopefully he didn't notice that he actually scared her; not even bothering to hide the malice in his tone and eyes. Buffy finally saw how deep his resentment towards her actually ran. She'd thought he was just being a hard ass about her being the only woman, when he actually might hate her. All hopes of co-existing peacefully vanished in that instant.

With shaky hands, she turned off the shower and pulled her formerly discarded shirt over her head in a rush. Her backpack was overstuffed to the point that the zipper wouldn't close, but she paid it no mind as she clutched the bag to her chest and fled from the room and the mansion, fled from Angelus and his anger. Getting as far away as possible from him was the most important thing right now and she didn't care that she didn't even greet the team members before she stumbled into the waiting cab.

Angelus silently stared at her retreating form, satisfied that he managed to rattle her up a bit. So his show in her bathroom might have been a little excessive, but he couldn't think straight when he finally had her so close to him. Just the look of her sent him into a mad rage and he threw all caution to the wind. She's left in the same clothes she's sparred in, obviously forgoing her usual after training shower. That suited him just fine, the sooner she was out of his house ever day, the better.

There was no doubt in his mind that he would be hearing from Giles in the morning concerning their little 'incident'; not that he cared, Giles was well aware of how he felt about her and it had been his decision to put them against each other, he should have known better, so the consequences were on him.

Thinking back to the scene in the bathroom, he remembered the look of shock and fear in her eyes the second he had her pressed against the wall. It vanished the second she saw it was him; so she wasn't afraid of him physically, or so it seemed. As she fired back at him he thought she might lash out at him or at least try to push him from her, instead she kept her hands at her side, which was a very good decision on her part. He didn't know what might have happened if she touched him again; not that he would lash out at her…her might just have kissed her. He shook his head to clear the irrational thought…having Buffy pressed half naked against him wasn't good for his mental wellbeing.

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TWO WEEKS LATER

THROWING DOWN his ammo belt with more force than was necessary, Angelus glared at Buffy as she walked into the room behind him. Ridding himself of all the other weapons he was carrying, he kept his eyes on her the entire time. Buffy avoided him eyes but he knew she was aware he was watching her.

The other members of the team filled into the room, everyone equally tired and sore from the mission they just completed; which was understandable, falling through a roof and nearly getting killed did cause some havoc on a person's body…all in a day's work for the Hyperion team it seemed.

"You should have taken the shot." Angelus said angrily at Buffy, ignoring the curse Gunn directed at him. He was in no mood to deal with Gunn at the moment and if he knew what was good for him, he would keep his trap shut.

Peeling her own weapons from her body, Buffy scoffed at him, "Like I said…I didn't have a clear shot and could have hit Groo in the head. I'd rather not risk his live when the situation could be handled differently, yet with the same outcome." The words were ground out between her teeth. Looking at Angelus, it was obvious he was livid, not that she cared, it didn't seem like he had any other emotions expect anger and resentment, so why should she have to put up with his anger when it made no difference at all.

If possible, Angelus' temper soared even higher, but disbelief filtered in. What the hell was she implying? That he didn't value his team member's lives and would rather someone be injured? Was she that ignorant? This only proved once again that Buffy wasn't fit to be with them; she had the mentality of a child and went against his orders; that was something he wouldn't tolerate. When Buffy turned her back on him, he knew it was a calculated move on her part to show disregard; he would know; he did it to her enough times.

Clenching his teeth, he did his best not to grab her arm and whirl her around, "Your hesitation nearly cost us the mission. You could have taken the shot and Groo is more than capable of handling a situation like that, as you could clearly see. Don't be such a whiney bitch next time and do your damn job Buffy." With that, he threw his unloaded gun down on the table, the noise making Buffy jump, and stalked out of the room.

Closing her eyes and counting slowly to ten, Buffy calmed herself. She hated when he said her name like it was a vile curse he couldn't get past his lips. Usually he never used her name, but when he did, he was royally pissed off at her. When he wasn't cursing her name, he called her an 'immature child' or 'spoiled brat' or something equally insulting. The names didn't bother her all that much, over the years she'd learned to ignore and disregard people who revered to name calling; that was a clear indication of their maturity level and she was pretty sure Angelus was only acting like a five year old to irritate her. On top of all that, he just implied that she didn't know how to do her job, when she knew she did the best she could at the time.

The situation had been highly unexpected but she acted in the blink of an eye and if she hadn't hesitated, Groo would be sporting a rather big hole in his head…not a good look for him. It could have happened to anyone but just because it was her, Angelus was turning it into an ugly situation. She was sure that if it had been Spike or Graham or anyone else, they would have gotten a pat on the back, and not the serious tongue lashed she got.

Feeling herself calming down a fraction, Buffy gathered her things and left to the room that was assigned to her. A nice long hot shower was what she needed; maybe it would help to clear her mind a bit as well because she was starting to have insane thoughts and she was seriously starting to doubt her mental health.

Just the other day while she and Angelus were engaged in another heated debate, she realized something very startling that it almost knocked her off her feet. While he was hurling insults at her, she found she didn't want to try and insult him back like she always did. True she's always respected Angelus, but since they started working together and the hostility between them became ever present, she felt disappointed that such a great, respected man could be so mean and callous…even if it only was directed towards her.

Angelus was the most arrogant, most frustrating jerk she'd ever met in her entire life; and she's dealt with some seriously screwed up people. But when she wasn't around, or he thought she wasn't, he was actually the greatest guy she could have hoped to meet. At those times, he was calm and relaxed, nothing at all like the tense person he was around her. Then he was actually care free and very easy going and enjoyed joking around with his friends. To her, he'd always seemed so serious and up tight.

The way he talked to his fellow team members left no doubt in her mind that he would take a bullet for each and every one of them. Giles was more like a father to him and he showed the older man such respect that it actually amazed her. She only got glimpses of the man people told her so much about; he was a caring compassionate person even though his work line of work called on some people to be heartless.

Dragging her sore and tired body from the shower, she gave herself a mental kick in the butt. There was _no way_ on earth that she could have feeling for Angelus; especially the type of feels she was having. It was bad enough that she found him attractive as hell, wouldn't he just love to find out that bit of information? Most likely he would have her fired for 'inappropriate behavior towards her colleges' and if he really wanted to have a good laugh, he could throw in the good old 'sexual harassment' while he was at it.

If only things could have been different; he might have been a person she could have been a good friend with. Looking at the clock, Buffy groaned when she saw it was well after midnight, and it would take at least thirty minutes to get home. Pulling the towel tighter around her body, she decided just to take a quick power nap then get dressed and go home. No one would know if she caught a few zz's in here afterwards. Snuggling into the pillows and fluffy bedding, Buffy closed her eyes…just for a few minutes.

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ANGELUS CURSED again as he got out of the shower. He was still furious and the shower did nothing to calm his raging anger. He couldn't believe Buffy dared to try and defend herself after what happened. And on top of that, she ignored a direct order from him at the most crucial time.

When they left on their mission, everyone had clear orders and directions for what they had to do and what they needed to complete the mission. Like usual, this mission was just as dangerous as any other they've been on and required everyone to be alert and focused at all times.

A trusted source gave them information on a crime syndicate the authorities had been after for years. They'd found out he was going to meet with lower rank street dealers to sell drugs at a building and the Hyperion team was called in to handle the situation. After splitting up into two teams, they entered the building; Buffy, Angelus, Forrest and Groo entered through the roof, while Spike, Lindsay, Graham and Gunn entered at floor level.

Just like their informant told them, the crime syndicate was busy selling the drugs just as they found him. As his team watched through the ceiling, Spike and Gunn were taking their positions just a few feet away to deter the situation. When the ceiling squeaked and unexpectedly gave way beneath them, they fell right into the middle of the deal. By some miracle, Buffy managed not to fall through and just as she drew her gun to shoot the dealer, he gripped Groo and held him in front of his body as a shield.

Angelus had yelled at Buffy to shoot, but she hesitated and lowered her gun a fraction of an inch. When the dealer heard Angelus yell, he focused his attention and his gun in Buffy's directed. His distraction was all Gunn needed as he aimed and shot the man first in the leg and then the shoulder. As Angelus tackled him to the ground, Groo, Gunn, Spike and Forrest secured the other criminals. Buffy dropped from the ceiling a few seconds later and helped them tie the criminals up as they waited for the police to arrive.

Then the unthinkable happened. Everything happened in slow motion as three more dealers appeared out of nowhere and charged towards Buffy and Lindsey while they were securing the criminals. Buffy noticed at the last second and barely managed to evade their attack. Then another dealer drew his gun and aimed it at Buffy while she was in a scuffle.

At that second, his heart stopped dead in his chest. It was so close and in that millisecond that passed, the situation could have ended very differently; he might have lost two of his team members. The second he heard Gunn pull his trigger, he breathed a sigh of relief as he sprung into action and took the criminal down to the ground. Minutes later, the situation was secured and they left the building, everyone safe and unharmed; except maybe for Buffy, when he finally tore into her.

He did feel a tinge of regret for going off on Buffy the way he did, but she needed to know how close a call it was, she needed to follow orders just like everyone else. He didn't want the responsibility of going to her parents and telling them their daughter died on a mission gone bad. That was the only reason; not at all that he was scared shitless at the thought of Buffy getting injured.

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HYPERION MANSION

NEXT MORNING

BUFFY STARTED awake, sitting straight up in bed. Looking around disorientated, she didn't know where the hell she was. When the towel slipped down, exposing her naked torso to the cool air, she ripped it back up and clutched the material to her chest like it was a lifeline. Groaning, she finally remembered; she obviously fell asleep after her shower…in the mansion.

This wasn't good…Angelus was going to blow a gasket if he knew she spent the night. Maybe she could slip out quietly and just pretend she arrived early. Jip, that would defiantly work when they saw her in the same clothes she wore yesterday.

Jumping from the bed, she rushed to the closet and smiled in relief as she saw the extra pair of clothes she left there. Luckily she always brought a pair with. A quick shower and she could be out of the mansion in ten minutes, no one the wiser.

Buffy froze as a knock sounded at her door. When she didn't answer, whoever it was decided to open the door and peek their head in. Spike's peroxide hair was the first thing she saw and breathed a sigh of relief. "Morning pet. Sleep well?" His friendly tone put her at ease a bit but did nothing to help her situation.

"Hey Spike…please, please don't tell Liam I spent the night. I'm just going to shower and then I'll be out in ten minutes." When Spike frowned at her, she chose to ignore it and gather her clothes. His facial expressions were the least of her worried right now.

"I honestly don't know why you call him that. No one but his aunt calls him Liam and he despises that old hag." He stepped into her room and closed the door behind him, oblivious to the fact that she was clad only in a towel. His eyes didn't stray lover than her face though, and he acted like they did this all the time.

'Must be why he insists on me calling him by that name.' Buffy chose not to voice that little bit to Spike.

"We're having breakfast in the kitchen in fifteen minutes. Finish up and meet me there." Spike said as he made to leave the room. Her cry stopped his hand in mid air, inches away from the handle.

"No! I'm not going to have breakfast here, thanks for the offer though." She rushed out, scared out of her mind with urgency and panic.

When Spike leaned back against the door and looked at her, Buffy began to feel a bit uncomfortable under his scrutinizing gaze. "Why don't you want Angelus to know you spent the night?" By the tone of his voice, Buffy could tell he wasn't going to leave until she answered him. Spike was very persistent and he always got his way…sooner or later; so there was no reason to drag it out.

Sighing, she relented, "He'll pop a vein if he knows I spent the night. You know how he is about his personal space. How do you think he's going to react when he finds out I spent the entire night in his house?"

"Well it's not like you did it on purpose. You were tired just like the rest of us and fell asleep. By the attire you're _not _wearing, it's obvious you didn't plan on staying." His eyes remained on Buffy, looking for any reaction to his words. He wasn't surprised when he saw nothing, Buffy was good at hiding her emotions from people; even her eyes didn't give anything away like they usually did. He could tell there was something else going on besides the fact that she and Angelus couldn't get along, he just didn't know what it was.

When Buffy remained silent, he pushed himself from the wall, halfway out he looked at her sternly, "I'll see you in the kitchen in fifteen minutes." His tone let her know that she had no choice but to do as he said. She rushed through her shower and dressed quickly, leaving her hair wet. Stuffing her dirty clothes in her backpack, she slung it over her shoulder and made her way to the kitchen with moments to spare.

The sight that greeted her surprised her more than anything she'd ever seen. All the team members were there, including Giles who was pouring coffee, and Angelus stood at the stove, preparing breakfast. When he turned around and his eyes landed on her, he stopped mid motion. Shock and surprise flashed in his eyes before he could hide it. Even dressed in track pants with a plain t-shirt, he was the most handsome man she'd ever seen…and how great did he look while preparing food?

As everyone greeted her, she politely greeted back. When Spike pulled out the chair next to him and told her to come over, her eyes immediately flashed to Angelus; checking his reaction. He still hadn't moved, he was motionless, his hand holding the pot mid air and his other hovering with the spatula.

Calculating the distance Spike was from her, she knew she would be able to make a dash and be out the front door before he reached her. "Thanks, but I don't like eating this early. I'll see you guys later. Bye." She rushed out then made the run for the door. She heard Spike curse and stand up, his chair scarping against the floor, but she was already out the door by the time he reached the hall. Breathing a sigh of relief when she was safely seated in the cab, she didn't want to think about the disaster she just avoided.

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STARING AT the spot Buffy just vacated, Angelus remained motionless. He heard Spike curse but paid it no mind. Until he heard Spike's chair being pushed out and his heavy footfalls chase after Buffy, only then did he crashed back to reality. Buffy stayed the night? But she never spent the night, not even when they returned from missions at two in the morning. She always went home, practically ran out the mansion to get home. How didn't he know about that? Probably because he fell asleep right after his shower.

Her hair had still been wet and her face flushed from the shower; she looked so…fresh and invigorating. That was a sight he wouldn't forget anytime soon. Looking at Spike as he returned, he scowled as he realized Spike knew she spent the night. Everyone was looking at him expectantly and he realized he still held the spatula in mid air. Shaking himself mentally, he carried on where he left off and served everybody their eggs. No one said anything about Buffy's hasty departure; they didn't need to, they knew she left because of him.

Strangely, he was disturbed by her quick retreat. Sure she never stayed or ate breakfast with them, it just felt strangely awkward knowing he was the reason she never did. Maybe she just didn't like eating that early, like she said. Maybe she had stuff to do and couldn't spare the time, he didn't know…and he never would.

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HYPERION MANSION

FOLLOWING WEEK

BUFFY SCRATCHED impatiently at the long black dress she was wearing. She'd been in the dress for a total of fifteen minutes and she was already irritated with it and the high heels she was wearing. It was nothing against the dress; she was just uncomfortable in such formal attire. The beautiful, long black dress she was wearing was nothing she would normally wear, or ever wear for that matter.

Unlike their other missions, her 'gear' for this mission was said dress with the sloping back and elegant neckline, paired with heels high enough to give her at least a few inches taller than she usually was. Oh, and not to forget the small handgun strapped to her inside thigh; the perfect combination. She just hoped she didn't trip over her own feet and embarrass herself in front of her team members.

Their mission tonight was to obtain information on Bruce Novikov, a notorious Russian arms dealer. The FBI had been investigating him for years but they never got solid evidence to send him to convict him. That's when they called in the Hyperion Special Forces. She, Lindsey and Angelus were attending a fund raiser at his private estate. Giles pulled a few strings and managed to get them on the guest list, giving them the perfect opportunity to sneak into his private office and get the information they needed.

According to the FBI, Bruce Novikov is rumored to make another large weapons transaction soon, but they needed the whereabouts and time and the only way to get that was to get it from his office. After they get the information they needed, they would assist the FBI and SWAT in taking the man down. Buffy and Lindsey would act as back up and 'buffers' for Angelus who would obtain the information while the party was in full swing downstairs.

Making last minute adjustments to her appearance, she left the room, mentally preparing herself for the mission ahead. Thank goodness Cordelia recommended a stylist to help Buffy prepare for the night; otherwise she never would have been ready in time.

As she descended the stairs and saw the two men waiting for her at the foot of the staircase, she couldn't stop her eyes from skipping over Lindsey and settling on Angelus' tux clad body. As usual, his back was turned to her and he impatiently looked at his watch. She knew he wasn't very happy about her being on this specific mission, but they needed a woman and it wasn't like he could call one of his girlfriends and ask her to join them on a top secret Special Forces Mission. Not to mention she might have been a bit jealous to see a woman hanging off his arm.

When a loud cat whistle rang out, Buffy couldn't help but look at Lindsey and chuckle at him. Lindsey made no secret of the fact that he liked her. It was very flattering to have his attention focused on her, but nothing would ever come of it; even if they didn't work together, she just didn't feel that way about him. He reached out his hand to her, which she gratefully accepted. "Well damn, don't you look exceptionally beautiful." Smiling at him, she was glad to know he approved of how she looked, even if she didn't want that kind of attention from him.

At Lindsey's comment, Angelus finally turned around…and nearly swallowed his tongue at the sight of her. Lindsey called her beautiful, but the word did her no justice; she looked amazing clad in the form fitting floor length dress. The elegant neckline drew attention to her bust tastefully and the material accentuated her toned physique. Her hair was done in soft curls, tumbling to just below her shoulders. Not that he would ever admit it to anyone, but he'd never seen a more beautiful sight in his life.

Doing his best to hide his reaction, he threw a disapproving look over her appearance and was pleased when she caught the action. "How can you even conceal a weapon in there when you're barely concealed yourself?" His tone was sarcastic, which earned him a nudge in the ribs from Lindsey, which he ignored. They didn't have to know he thought she looked good enough to eat…and he definitely would have indulged if the situation had been different.

Instead of entertaining him with a reply, she focused her attention Lindsey instead. Both men were dressed in stylish black suits with white shirts and cufflinks. Angelus' suit fit him to a T and only emphasized his powerful physique. They both looked good, even though they seemed a bit irritated with the ties. "You two look rather dashing yourselves." She mentally kicked herself for the slip but was glad when Lindsey didn't seem to notice and instead lead her out to the waiting limo.

Angelus lost his frown as soon as her words settled in. Did she just compliment him on his looks? Ok, so the compliment wasn't directed at him solely, but it was still a compliment. Maybe she just didn't realize what she said as he found it highly unlikely at Buffy would have anything nice to say towards him. Still, the thought that she might find him pleasing to look at satisfied him. He'd never lacked female attention, but to have Buffy approve seemed…right.

Lindsey led Buffy out, leaving Angelus to follow behind, he nearly stumbled on the carpet as he got a good look at her back; the dress sloped nearly to her lower back and gripped her ass in the most enticing way, and the slit at her thigh rode nearly all the way, stopping mere inches from her bum. It was obvious Cordelia had something to do with this…not that he didn't like the view. But to keep up appearances… What the hell was she thinking, dressing like that? She would undoubtedly draw attention to herself in that number she was wearing. Deciding it best to keep his mouth shut for now, he followed behind, his eyes secretly admiring the seductive sway of her hips with each step she took.

Once inside the limo, he saw Lindsey was still grinning like an idiot and Buffy fumbling with the small diamond bracelet she was wearing. It was weird seeing a woman look uncomfortable in the clothing she was wearing; but he understood how she felt, he didn't like dressing up in a tux either, but the job required it from time to time. Buffy never seemed like the type to over dress or draw too much attention to herself, so it must be an adjustment for her to dress like she was now.

The driver eased the limo into traffic and they would arrive in about twenty minutes. Those twenty minutes were going to be a real test of his strength and determination. Having Buffy so close and dressed the way she was…like Lindsey, his eyes strayed to her every few minutes. Luckily, she didn't seem to notice.

"Where is your weapon anyway?" Lindsey asked, causing Buffy to snap up her head, shocked, and Angelus to groan and close his eyes at the stupidness that was Lindsey McDonald. Only Lindsey would ask something like that…even though he was wondering the same thing…he could think of only a few places where her weapon might be stashed, and he preferred not to think about it.

Buffy couldn't help but chuckle, she was wondering when he was going to ask her that. She'd seen him looking her over and she was sure it wasn't just to guess where her weapon was. Conveniently for her, some guns were so small these days you could hide them anywhere. It wasn't her preferred weapon, but the tiny gun packed enough fire power, should she need it.

When Lindsey got no answer from her, her tried a different tactic, "I could guess…or I could search for it?" His eyebrows wiggled in emphasis causing Buffy to laugh at him.

"Christ, Lindsey…" Angelus muttered at the suggestion Lindsey made. There was no doubt in his mind that Lindsey would like nothing more that to search for the weapon she was hiding, and show her a good time while he was at it. When Buffy laughed he found the sound pleasant and intoxicating, even the twinkle in her eyes intrigued him. She was so relaxed and comfortable around Lindsey, it's a wonder he hadn't persuaded her to actually take her on that date yet…obviously Lindsey would be good to her, he's already said that Buffy was the one for him and he would settle down if she asked him. Strange that he wanted to rip Lindsey's throat out at the thought of him having her.

"Nope…it's called a 'concealed' weapon for a reason Lindsey. However…if you did the funky monkey on the dance floor tonight, I might think about telling you." Buffy joked back. When she heard a chuckle to her left, her eyes nearly popped at the sight of Angelus smile. Wow…he had the best smile she'd ever seen in her life…too bad she'll never see it again.

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NOVIKOV ESTATE

LINDSEY CRADLED Buffy's arm securely in his own as they entered the party. She was pressed lightly against him and he didn't mind one bit, he just wanted to pull her even closer. The fact that she was using him as leverage not to trip in those heels she was wearing didn't bother him one bit. In all honesty, Buffy could use him for anything she wanted and he would oblige with a smile. Tonight he was actually happy for the grudge Angelus held against Buffy; if not, then Angelus might have had Buffy on his arm like he did now, and he might never have gotten the opportunity of feeling her so close to him.

A waiter passed and they each took a glass of champagne, then started to mingle and move around. An hour later, Angelus stood up from their table and excused himself to the bathroom to prepare to go in and search for the information. Lindsey nodded and asked Buffy to dance. As the classical music floated in the air, Angelus discreetly disappeared while Lindsey and Buffy kept an eye out from the dance floor.

Using the situation to his advantage, he pulled Buffy closer and settled his hand on her lower back, lightly stroking the exposed skin. "Why won't you go on a date with me?" he asked casually and caught Buffy as she faltered on the dance step. Smiling at her, he patted himself on the back for catching her off guard.

"I don't think this is the time to discuss that." Buffy tried avoiding having to answer. They were on a mission and had to keep their eyes open and be alert. Just the way he asked the question caused her to lose her focus momentarily and that was unacceptable. Truth was, she'd asked herself that question thousands of times herself. Lindsey was a great guy and would make his partner very happy one day. He was obviously interested in her and he always treated her very well. The fact that he was a player did cause influence her decision, but when he said he wanted her, he seemed deadly serious. But the thought that he might leave soon after wasn't the only reason she denied him…the feelings just wasn't there…maybe if she just gave it a little more time…

Lindsey smiled down at her, "I can see the whole room from here, no worries. Now answer my question." He knew she would say no when he asked her again, but he found her reluctance irresistible and he would continue trying until she relented and gave in. For a woman like Buffy, he would continue perusing her until she eventually gave in; she was worth the effort and the wait in his opinion.

Buffy remained quiet at first, contemplating how to answer while scanning the crown for potential danger, "You shouldn't date you co workers you know, it's not good for business." She answered finally, her voice teasing and friendly. Lindsey chuckled at her answer, not offended in the least by her reply. He was stroking the skin on her lower back and even though it felt nice, she longed for it to be someone else's fingers on her skin.

Angelus stealthily returned to their table, the information securely tucked in his trouser pocket. Scanning the dance floor, he located Lindsey leading Buffy around in fluid movements. Lindsey had her pulled tight against him and was whispering in her ear, telling her Angelus returned, yet he didn't stop dancing with her like Angelus expected him to. The way Lindsey was leaning into Buffy seemed strangely…intimate… and Angelus didn't like that one bit; until he saw Lindsey's hand creep lower and settle just above Buffy's rear. The slope of her dress didn't hide the stiffening of her back muscles to his gaze, indicating that she wasn't totally comfortable with the gesture, much to his satisfaction.

Thankfully the song ended right then and Buffy gently extracted herself from Lindsey's hold. As they made their way back to the table, Angelus scanned her face, looking for any indication as to what was going on inside her. When her gaze met hers, she looked startled, like a deer caught in headlights, until she lowered her gaze again, a faint blush tainting her cheeks.

Buffy felt a tingling in her spine but couldn't place the feeling. Maybe it was just jitters from the mission. After dancing with Lindsey, he led her back to the table but the feeling didn't go away, only got more intense. When she looked at their table, Angelus was staring at her; his eyes boring right into her. She broke eye contact first, feeling exposed and vulnerable under his heated gaze. She wondered what she did this time; with Angelus she could never be sure.

Angelus watched Buffy the rest of the night, his eyes straying to her every few minutes. They were forced to stay because it would look too obvious if they left so soon, but it seemed Buffy and Lindsey were actually enjoying the party and each other's company. When Lindsey excused himself to the bathroom, he felt a moment of panic at being alone with Buffy again. Instead he focused his attention on their target, Bruce Novikov, as he moved around the room, talking to people and being the good host.

When he approached their table and went directly to Buffy and asked he to dance, Angelus faltered, not sure what to do. Buffy however, handled the situation calmly and took the offered hand, politely accepted his request. Novikov led her to the floor and took her in his arms, settling one hand on her upper back and the other grasped her hand in his own at his shoulder. Points to him for keeping his hands at a reasonable level…unlike Lindsey who used it as an opportunity to grab her ass…

"What. The. Hell?" Lindsey said as he came back and saw who Buffy was dancing with. Angelus didn't even answer him, just kept his eyes trained on Buffy and the Russian mafia boss leading her around the dance floor. There was no way Novikov could know Buffy was an agent, they'd been checked in under false names and even if he did have her real name, he wouldn't be able to find anything on her. That bastard better not lay a hand on her or he would be all over him in a second.

"You're a very good dancer Mr. Novikov." Buffy smiled politely as they moved around the dance floor. Despite him being a notorious mafia boss and criminal, he remained polite, never once making any inappropriate gestures or comments. As she spoke, she had to crane her neck to look him in the eye.

Bruce Novikov was a large, sturdy man at about 6 ft 6, with short blond hair and light grey eyes. With his bulking muscles and tall frame, he seemed fit to be a wrestler or body builder. The stylish suit he was clad in strained to accommodate his powerful body; not hiding one ounce of the muscle underneath. Even though his body housed enough strength to crush a person, his hands were gentle and light were they touched her.

He smiled down at her, "Thank you. My mother forced me to take dancing lesions when I was a child. And please, call me Bruce." His answer was equally polite and he held a genuine interest in his gaze. As he twirled her around the room, they made polite conversation and Buffy was surprised that despite being a crime lord and murderer, he was a perfect gentleman and expressed excellent manners. She was laughing at something he said about his brother when her nape started tingling again.

Novikov also noticed but remained quiet at first. From the moment he took her hand, he felt the man's gaze on them. Out of respect to his lady companion, he didn't throw his own glare at him and instead kept his eyes trained on her. But he did find satisfaction in the fact that she seemed very uncomfortable around her darker haired companion. "Your friend doesn't like you in another man's arms." Bruce noted nonchalantly, causing Buffy to frown at him. At her questioning gaze, he elaborated, "The gentleman with the dark hair, he's been watching you the whole time. He doesn't like that you dancing with me." He'd noted another murderous expression sent his way.

Throughout the evening, he'd noticed that she was more comfortable around the lighter haired man. Even though he liked her, it was obvious that they weren't romantically linked. The same couldn't be said about their friend; his eyes almost never left her, yet he kept a good distance away from her and never spoke to her. She was uncomfortable and constantly fiddled with something whenever he looked at her; it seemed like she was unconsciously aware of him every second.

Buffy smiled back at him, "Oh, he doesn't mind. He always looks like that. I don't think he knows how to smile." Her comment made him chuckle but he knew that wasn't it; that man wanted her but was afraid of his feelings towards her.

The song ended much too quickly and he reluctantly led her back to the table. As she thanked him for the dance, he took her hand and placed a kiss on her fingers, "It was delightful dancing with such a beautiful woman. Thank you for the dance Ms Winters." He deliberately threw a murderous glare right back at the dark haired man as he said goodbye to her.

Buffy's heart was beating so fast she thought it was going to jump from her chest. When Novikov approached her, she thought their cover was blown. Much to her relief, he just wanted to dance and didn't give any indication that he knew who they were. She'd seen the murderous glare Angelus shot her the second she returned to the table and knew it was only a matter of time before he ripped into her.

Lindsey also noticed, "Don't you dare say a damn word Angelus. Buffy handled the situation perfectly. How was she to know he would approach her?" Lindsay ground out the words. He noticed Angelus stiffen when Buffy returned to the table and also knew she was going to get the third degree as soon as they were alone.

Angelus chose to ignore them both and didn't say another word for the rest of the evening; well, at least until they were seated in the limo. "That wouldn't have happened if you hadn't worn that damn revealing dress. With your ass nearly sticking out, every pair of eyes would have found you." Angelus started before Buffy even settled in.

"It's a formal dress event Liam, was I supposed to wear, a poncho?" Buffy asked sarcastically. She was drained, and fighting with him right now wasn't on her agenda. She was tired of the constant fighting, tired of him always blaming her. This wasn't what she signed up for when she took the job with the Hyperion team. They were supposed to respect each other professionally at least if they could respect one another personally.

When Angelus didn't answer, she was glad that her comment managed to shut him up for once. But when she looked up, she saw Lindsey staring at Angelus with the fiercest look she'd ever seen. Evidently Lindsey was just as tired, so he made Angelus shut it with a single look…wish she had that power.

As they arrived back at the mansion, Buffy didn't even wait for the driver to let them out, she opened the door and nearly ran into the mansion. As she descended the stair a few minutes later, dressed in her preferred jeans and t-shirt, she heard Lindsey and Angelus going at each other in the entertainment room, no doubt about what happened at the mission. She snuck past them and left silently.

The night had been stressful enough and she wasn't going to add another fight into the mix. If Angelus wanted to fight with her some more, he'd just have to wait till tomorrow. Maybe then she's have the strength and heart to fight with him again…because these last couple of weeks had only intensified her strange feelings towards him.

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HYPERION MANSION

FOLLOWING WEEK

LOOKING OVER at Buffy, Angelus scowled at her for the umpteenth time. She was looking at the weapon in her hands as if it were an alien, and it appeared she was trying to reason with the weapon to work along with her.

Giles bought them a few new guns the other day and they were out practicing with them at the shooting rage since early that morning. They've been practicing for nearly three hours and Buffy and yet to hit her target, which was strange because Buffy was an excellent shooter and always hit her mark. He'd heard her uttering a few crass words every once in a while and now she was just muttering silently to herself. By the look of things, she was just a few second away from hurling the gun at the target instead of shooting it.

Aiming at his target and pulling the trigger, he hit another bull's eye, "You're not doing it right Buffy." He taunted her. Glancing over in her directing when she didn't reply, he frowned. Usually she would shoot back with her own sharp comment. He found it unnerving that she didn't do that anymore. Ever since the Novikov dinner, Buffy's been either avoiding him or ignoring him when he made comments towards her. Still staring at her, he hid a smile as she uttered another curse under her breath when she fired her gun. "Are you going to practice or fiddle around with it the whole day?" he enquired with false sweetness.

Lowering the weapon and inspecting it again, Buffy didn't look at him, "If you keep japing at me the whole time, I can't concentrate, now can I?" She answered sarcastically. In truth, she wanted to hurl the gun across the range, but only refrained because he would call her a child for throwing a tantrum because she didn't get what she wanted.

Angelus sighed as he placed his gun on the table, engaged the safety and went over to Buffy's cubicle. Her eyes grew wide as she saw him approach her, she wanted to back out of the cubicle, but he was already inside, just inches from her. Taking the gun in his hand, he placed it in hers and stepped in behind her, "You're gripping it wrong. This one's bigger than you're used to but you still grip it like you would your normal gun." Placing her hands like he just described, he showed her what he meant.

He circled his arms around her shoulders, still gripping her hands and gun in his, then pulled her into his chest, "Stop dropping your elbows and stabilize your shoulders, the kickback won't be as hard then." He gently squeezed the trigger, firing a shot and landing a perfect bull's eye. "Lean forward a bit if you have to. It takes a while to get comfortable with a new weapon but you just have to feel what's comfortable for you." He leaned forward a bit, in turn making her lean forward like he explained. Another shot, another perfect hit. Buffy knew he was speaking; she just wasn't sure what he was saying. His breath tickled her neck and the warmth from his muscular chest seeped into her as he pressed against her. His hands were gentle but firm around hers as he pulled the trigger again. Buffy nearly gapped at the perfect shots.

Angelus stepped away, taking the wonderful warmth of his body with him, and waited for her to shoot again. Every shot she took landed a bull's eye, much to her amazement. Smiling widely at him over her shoulder, she saw him nod before retreating back to his own cubicle. For a few seconds, Buffy couldn't move, totally amazed at what just happened. Angelus actually _helped_ her without one sarcastic remark or insult. Maybe he was starting to change his attitude towards her. Frowning, she realized she liked him even more now…so the feeling she's d been having towards him were true. Would he use this against her later? She just hoped he didn't notice her reaction to him.

His body moved of its own accord and the next moment he had Buffy encircled by his arms and her back pressed into his chest...and her bum snuggled against his hips. It wouldn't have surprised him if she gave him an elbow in the ribs because he just took over like that. Buffy didn't like it when people took over her space and that's exactly what he'd done. Instead, she's relaxed into his embrace and followed his instructions. Angelus picked up his gun and continued practicing.

When he had her close like that, he couldn't think straight; it was a wonder he managed to hit the target. Her scent intoxicated him and he wanted to lean forwards and press his nose against her nape and inhale her. Not to mention having her rear snuggled against his pelvis…very nice image…not so nice if she noticed he was smuggling another 'gun' in his pants. The smile she gave him could have lit up the entire room; that would be the only genuine smile he would ever get from her.

Trying to get his body under control, he focused on the target and pulled the trigger…and missed the target entirely. Gunn threw a remark over at him but he ignored it. Damn…that was Buffy's fault, no doubt about it. Having her running around in his mind made him do stupid things.

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TWO WEEKS LATER

BUFFY GLANCED at Gunn again, reassuring herself that he was really still there, alive and breathing. Feeling eyes on him, Gunn looked up into the worried face of his fellow team member. Winking at her in reassurance, he hoped to put her worried heart to rest. They were sitting in the back seat of their van, on their way to back to the mansion after their latest mission. He for one was very happy to know he was actually breathing. When they'd gone in on their latest mission, he never thought he might not make it out alive.

The mission had been going according to plan, everything going off without a hitch. They infiltrated the building and were silently stalking towards their target; a well known drug lord. Just feet away from him and several other men, the situation turned bad after Buffy accidentally tripped and alerted the drugged up men of their presence. Everyone scattered in an instant before the drug lord started unloading his weapon at them. As Buffy dived behind a crate, narrowly missing bullets, one of the drug lord's men saw her and disarmed her before using her as bait.

Gunn was the first one to notice her and stupidly tried to take down the man holding her. All three of them fell to the ground in a tumble of limbs. Seconds later a shot rang out, causing all three of them to cease their struggles. She heard Gunn inhale sharply and as she looked down, she saw him bleeding. In her panic, she managed to hit the thug out cold before she rushed to Gunn's side. Seconds later the entire team surrounded them, and Groo came to their side, his face pale as a sheet as he looked at the man he just shot and killed.

She was busy searching Gunn's body for the gunshot wound when she was harshly ripped away and pushed to the side, before landing flat on her ass. She didn't have to look up to know who it was; those harsh hands could only belong to one person. After Gunn pushed them away, he pulled up his shirt and revealed the deep scrape wound the bullet left in its wake.

Now, twenty minutes later, Gunn looked and acted like nothing happened; but Buffy felt the weight of the situation bearing down on her like a ton of bricks. She felt terrible; she nearly cost Gunn his life. Buffy was harshly made aware of how bad it could have ended, and thanked the heavens it didn't go down that way.

As they stopped by the mansion, everyone tried helping Gunn out of the car, he denied their help, insisting he was fine. Giles arrived and greeted them in the voyeur; then promptly directed Graham and Lindsey to take him to the emergency room to have him checked over and stitched up. He insisted it was merely a flesh wound but Giles would hear none of it and Gunn begrudgingly left with the two men.

Feeling weary and run down, Buffy made her way to her room. Not even a hot shower would relieve the tension and stress she was feeling. Moments after entering her room, Angelus barged in and closed the door behind him, shutting them in together. He nailed her in place with the most thunderous look she's ever seen on him; taking a step back from him unconsciously. "You know you're stupidity almost cost Gunn his life right?" his words were a harsh growl.

Looking ashamedly at him, Buffy didn't know what to say, "It was an accident…" her words sounded feeble, even to herself. He didn't need to come yell at her, she'd been doing that from the second she messed up in the mission.

Looking at her in astonishment, Angelus couldn't believe what he was hearing, "An accident? Is that the best you can do? An accident? You almost cost Gunn his live tonight Buffy. Thank god for Groo, otherwise Gunn would have been in a body bag right now. You shouldn't even have a badge, much less a gun. You have no clue what you're doing and your ignorance and inexperience once again proved that tonight." Her heart constricted; the resentment and anger was something she was used to seeing in his eyes, but tonight it had a whole different intensity.

Buffy felt tears burn her eyes, but she would never, ever shed one single tear in front of Angelus. She would never let him know how much power he held over her; how much his words hurt. To hear him say the words she'd been repeating to herself the last couple of hours cut deeper than she would ever admit. "I…I didn't mean to…" She trailed off, hating the vulnerability she heard in her voice.

"Didn't mean to what Buffy? Mean to blow our cover? Nearly get someone killed? Well you did. You weren't thinking and you weren't focusing. You have a lot to learn, little girl and I honestly don't think a dangerous mission is the place to practice. You're pathetic! A sad, pathetic joke." Angelus said as he left and slammed the door behind him, the sound a harsh eco in the room.

Standing motionless, Buffy felt something tickle her cheek. Rubbing quickly over her face, she was disgusted with herself when she saw the tears. She was supposed to be stronger than this, she's always been strong so what changed? Maybe she just wasn't what she thought she was. All those years, training, working, sweat and blood and tears…meant nothing, because Angelus was right; she is a joke. What the hell made her think that she was good enough to be in this team? To have people's lives depend on her when she didn't have a clue what she was doing. She truly was pathetic and unworthy.

Wiping angrily at her face again when the tears wouldn't stop, she went to the sink and splashed water on her face. The icy water only seemed to make her feel colder, even emptier that before. After a few deep breaths, she cleaned her face as best she could and left her room, hastily making her way up the stairs to the top floor. Her knuckles were firm and sure against the large wooden door as she asked for entry; at the command, she pressed open the door and shut it firmly behind her.

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TWO WEEKS LATER

BUFFY GAVE herself a mental prep talk as they drove to the abandoned warehouse where Bruce Novikov was set to make a multimillion dollar weapons deal within the next hour. Everyone was silent, praying and going over the plan in their heads, replaying the warehouse layout like they could see it before them.

Buffy was doing the same, along with thinking a thousand other things as well. As the van came to a halt, Buffy closed her mind, forcing all the thoughts out of her head. They needed to focus and she was totally in the game to get this mission started. Who would have thought that sadness was a greater motivator than anger?

Angelus signaled and everyone went into their assigned directions. The FBI and SWAT were in the building next door; snipers and armed officers waiting and poised for their signal. The Hyperion team was to go in fist, get visual confirmation and then terminate the dealing. After they secured the suspects, SWAT would come in and take it from there.

Blending into the shadows, Buffy pressed her body against the decaying walls of the old building. Seeing Spike give her the signal, she slipped inside, quiet as a shadow. Making short work of the distance to their target, Buffy crouched low and settled into position, ready for things to get started.

Spike, Groo, Gunn and Angelus were securing the front where the dealers were, while she manned the back, and Graham, Lindsey and Forrest manned the side exits. She didn't have a clear visual on any of them but knew she wouldn't as they all blended into the shadows, ready to take down the reinforcements the criminals would call in when things got heated.

As the first shot fired, Buffy remained completely poised and under control. Shouting and gunfire drowned out everything else. When she saw Novikov's men rushing towards the entrance to come and help, she kept calm and collected as she squeezed the trigger, immobilizing his back up. She got into some hand to hand combat with two of them but she quickly subdued them.

Wiping her hands on her pants, she never saw the man come at her from behind as he threw his arm around her neck and lifted her of the ground. Unable to breathe from the choke hold he had on her, she threw her elbow out, connecting with his ribs and causing him to lose the grip he had on her. Running for her gun that lay on the ground, she was tackled from the side and took down with brute force.

His weight crushed her beneath him but she reacted instantly and connected her fist with his jaw. Using his momentary distraction, she dashed away to the rear of the warehouse; she needed a place to settle and get a good aim, and if that didn't work, she needed space for if a fight broke out.

When Bruce Novikov ran after her seconds later, she didn't have time to aim her weapon at him; he grabbed her hand holding the gun and fired out all her rounds. Miraculously, she managed to rip free just long enough to fire her final bullet into his upper thigh. He uttered a file curse but gripped her around the neck and hauled her to him, throwing her off balance.

Something was ripped from her leg holster but she didn't have time to react as he used her dagger to cut through the traps of her Kevlar vest then shoved the dagger into her upper thigh where he pulled it from. Before she could even utter a sound in pain, he drew his own weapon and fired a shot into her unprotected ribs.

As she screamed and fell to the ground, she vaguely heard him utter another curse. Nothing registered in her brain for the next few seconds as she lay on the floor, gripping her injured leg in her hands and holding back the scream that threatened to leave her again. Looking up, she saw Novikov look at her in amazement as he stumbled a few feet back, shock draining his face of all color.

Looking around, Buffy saw they were in the back rows of the warehouse and no one would hear her if she called for help. Novikov still hadn't moved; his eyes were trained at her as he gripped his gun at his side. Taking a deep breath she tried pulling some much needed air into her lungs. With great pain and difficulty, she pushed herself up and leaned against the wall. She did her best not to look at the dagger that was fully embedded in her thigh and tried instead to apply pressure to the wound in her side. It was useless to try anything now, she had no weapon, her gun lay feet away from her and she had no idea where the rest of the team was.

"But…It can be you…" Novikov's stunned voice dragged her attention back to him. He stared bewildered and shocked at the small blond laying in front of him…the same blond he danced with that night at the party…the same blond he hadn't been able to forget. "How? ...Your with the police?" he asked, angered now.

Buffy looked at him, trying her best not to show fear. Nodding, her voice strained when she answered, "I'm with the Special Forces." As she spoke, her ribs and lungs contracted in pain, spamming brutally. Just inhaling air was more painful than she could handle and the thought of speaking nearly made her cry out again.

Realization dawned on him and clearly showed on his face. It made sense now…he would have remembered if he'd met the beautiful woman before the party, but he didn't recall her; and for her to be on his guest list, he would have known her as he himself set up the list. It bothered him that night but as soon as she accepted his offer to dance, all doubt fled his mind; he's thought of her every day since then. Now she was finally before him again, albeit the circumstances, she still as beautiful as he remembered. "I'm guessing this isn't how you imagined the night to go." He said as he calmly walked closer to her, the pain in his thigh now a dull ache he barely even felt. She's managed to land a good one in his thigh, but it only grazed flesh.

As he approached her, Buffy tried pulling much needed oxygen into her lungs, the action caused more pain that she imagined and she moaned in protest. When black spots clouded her vision, she started panicking; her body was going into shock and now the murderous Russian was advancing on her. The shot she fired into this leg didn't seem to bother him; in fact, she didn't think he even noticed it. Novikov was a big man, taller than Angelus and much beefier, no wonder he didn't feel anything, he was like a bull.

When he crouched before her, she could do nothing but crane her neck and look at him. She thought he would strike her with the butt of his gun, but it hung between his legs as he glided his other hand up her injured thigh. Groaning in pain but not trying to move away, she merely closed her eyes. "You're friends won't catch me; my men are holding them off at the front…I could take you with me…make you the happiest woman on the planet…" he cocked his head to the side as he spoke. Buffy knew that was most likely true. Gunshots were still raining out, evidence that the fight was still on; she just hoped Angelus and the team would apprehend Novikov's men before anyone got injured.

Buffy sputtered at his words. Was he serious? At the disbelief on her face, he stroked her cheek gently, "I don't care what you are or what you did; I still want you, just like I did that night I first met you at the party. Just say the word, and we'll disappear, never to be heard of again." His voice was soft, just above a whisper, or maybe she just couldn't hear that clearly anymore.

Buffy sure as hell didn't expect this; the Russian arms dealer and murderer propositioning her to go with him, claiming he wanted her despite the fact that she shot him and was an agent sent to take him to prison. Her head felt heavy and thick, but she shook it in denial. The hand that gently stroked her cheek didn't falter, "You can't or you won't?" his words were a little harsher this time but his hands remained gentle, mindful of the pain she was in.

Buffy swallowed, trying to lubricate her dry throat, "Both…" it shouldn't take so much energy out of her just to utter one word, yet it did and she felt every last ounce of energy drain out of her like a tapped had been opened. Her arms felt like heavy weights as they dropped to her side; leaving her wound open and oozing without the previously added pressure. She knew she had to stop the bleeding, but she just didn't have the energy to try.

Noviko's hand gripped her chin tightly, forcing her face up harshly to meet his eyes angry gaze, "So that dark haired… _fool_… holds your heart…without even realizing it." It wasn't a question. He saw the way she looked at that man when she thought no one was watching. No one had ever looked at him that way. And yet, here was this beautiful woman, looking at another, undeserving man like the world started and ended with him. What a waste.

Strange that she held no resentment in her eyes towards him; even though he was a criminal, she still treated him with respect; her voice never once raised or sneered at him. The world needed more kind hearted people like her. Elegant and mindful of the people around her, despite how they chose to live their lives, she treated everyone equally, never looking down at them.

A lone tear escaped her eye as she nodded in defeat. He caught it with his finger and took the salty drop into his mouth, tasting her sorrow. Misery tasted so sweet…and he'd seen his fair share. Only it didn't seem as sweet looking into her eyes now; she knew she would never have what her heart desired most, knew she would most likely die before _he_ even noticed she was gone. "So graceful and honest…even as your murderer leads you to death's door." Buffy had no energy left to try and fight or even shake her head, or try and stop him. Why try controlling something you had no power over. Had it all suddenly gone silent…or was she imagining that as well?

Standing up and feeling the tinge of the bullet inside his thigh, he grimaced. Such a waste to end such a precious life; when it could have been so promising. Looking down at her, he noticed the blood pooling around her, staining her clothes and the floor, reaching the soles of his shoes; evidence of her pain and suffering. "Let's see how he feels when I take something he cares about." Novikov said as he took a few steps back and raised his gun at her. Buffy squeezed her eyes shut as he pulled the trigger.

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EVERYTHING IN the warehouse had fallen silent moments ago. The floor was covered in blood and bullets, bodies that were breathing and some that weren't. When two more shots rang out, everyone started and looked at each other. As far as they knew, everyone had been subdued; SWAT was handling the captured criminals in the room next door while he and his team regrouped and took count of the men they took down here.

Looking around, he saw Gunn and Groo help Forrest up off the floor, his leg bleeding from several cuts and two bullet holes. Lindsay and Spike approached him, both cautious and looking around for the source of the shot. "Where's Buffy?" he asked as he noticed one member of his team was missing. His body instantly froze.

Spike didn't waste a second as she sprinted in the direction of the SWAT team; when he saw she wasn't there with them, his heart started constricting. He rushed back to Angelus, who must have seen the look on his face because the second he saw him, Angelus sprinted in the opposite direction, his speed leaving Spike and the men miles behind.

Angelus' thighs screamed in protest as he forced himself to run faster. The warehouse was huge but he knew the layout, spent hours studying the floor plans. Behind the shelves stacked row upon row, he would soon come to a large open space, an exit to the left. The exit one of which the SWAT teams were supposed to be watching. He was sure the shot came from there but he couldn't be sure.

When he finally rounded the last rack, his blood ran cold at the sight that greeted him. It wasn't SWAT that fired that shot…Buffy lay slumped against the wall, Bruce Novikov standing a few feet from her, his gun still raised and smoking from the loads he fired into her. A large pool of blood surrounded Buffy's entire body and he saw boot tracks, also soaked in the blood.

With his mind on autopilot, he ripped his gun from his chest holster and fired the entire round into Novikov's exposed back. The Russian obviously hadn't heard him approaching; he was too consumed with the kill he was making. His huge frame dropped to the ground, his gun falling to his side, forgotten. As he rushed past him, he didn't spare him a second glance, too consumed with urgency to reach Buffy.

As he reached her, he slipped on the growing blood staining the floor, and crashed into the wall with enough force to rip plaster from the wall. But he felt no pain, nothing registered except the sight of Buffy covered in blood. Bringing his hand to his mouth, he willed his gag reflex to calm down and not resurface the last meal he ate.

With caring hands, he touched her shoulder, hoping to rouse her from her unconscious state; her body only slumped to the side; not that she would go very far, the dagger in her leg was pinned into the ground and wouldn't allow her leg to move. The sound of rapidly approaching boots didn't draw his attention from her either. Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, he gripped the dagger with a firm hand…and pulled. Her flesh made a sickening, wet sloshing sound as the dagger was pulled out. He was sure she would wake up from that alone but when she didn't even shake, he knew the situation was far worse than he thought.

Searching her torso for wounds, he growled in frustration at the blood that was making his search difficult. Suddenly, a piece of cloth was wrapped around her thigh, creating a tourniquet; the flash of white told him it was Spike, "Jesus…Christ…" his voice was strained, barely containing his emotions.

Running his hands over her chest, he encountered two bullet wounds, one in her abdomen and another right above her heart. When he placed his hands on her hips to pull her closer, he found another one seeping blood. As blood rushed out of her limp body, he hauled her up into his arms in one fluid movement. Holding her tight against his chest, her hands dangling at her sides and leaving a bloody trail behind, he let Spike guide him back through the metal shelves to the waiting car.

Groo slammed on the pedal as he and Spike jumped in the car. They would arrive at the hospital within seconds at the speed they were going. During the ride, he called her name and tried talking to her, but she didn't respond. Blood kept oozing from her wounds, soaking his clothes and the back seat of the car. His eyes never left her face and it turned a deadly shade of gray in a matter of seconds. Nuzzling into her neck, he tried inhaling her vanilla scent but all she could smell was the coppery tinge of blood. Without realizing it, he started murmuring to her in Gaelic, begging her to stay with him and not give up yet; telling her how sorry he was about being a jerk to her, telling her he was scared because he had feelings for her…and didn't want to lose her when he just found her.

Risking another glance down at her body, he saw the destruction the bullets left behind. Could a person survive after losing so much blood? Applying pressure didn't seem to help, even when Spike pushed a cloth to her side in an attempt to kept he blood inside her body. Shocked, he saw tears running down Spikes face…it was happening all over for him again…he was once again losing a woman he cared about, his frantic efforts would mean nothing.

Regret flooded him, making his heart nearly jump from his chest. His heart was beating franticly…while he didn't even feel Buffy's. This was what he got for wishing her gone. His efforts to drive her away didn't work, not even his awful treatment towards her could driver her away from her dream. Now he was getting what he wanted all along…Buffy was leaving…just not alive.

His thoughts went back to the day they sparred against each other. It was the first taste he got of her; being close to her, even as they were fighting, she threw his mind in a loop and since then he couldn't forget her scent. Her skin had been soft like silk as his fists connected with her and all he wanted to do was pull her to him and grab her flesh, instead of fighting against her to prove a point…then she knocked him flat on his back.

Every attempt she made at being nice and civil with him was met with restraint and anger, even open hostility; and that just because he didn't understand the feelings he had towards her. After he helped her with target practice, he knew he was done for. Not a day went by that he didn't think about her. Each day that passed his feeling became clearer and clearer. Until the mission went wrong and Buffy blew their cover; he exploded like a grenade and Buffy was on the receiving end, no hope of surviving.

Both she and Gunn had almost been killed and that thought sent him into a blinding rage, destroying everything near him. Three armed criminals rushed at Buffy, intent on pulling her off one of their guys, their knives poised to strike her. He didn't see anything as he killed one or when he engaged in combat with another and snapped his neck. The thought and fear of losing her made him mindless and instead of telling her that, he lashed out; the last words spoken to her had been in anger. Now this happened, she was in his arms, broken, bleeding and dying. She didn't deserve to die like that; this was his fault.

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LOS ANGELES PRIVATE HOSPITAL

MINUTES LATER the car skidded to a halt, the smell of tires and brakes momentarily blanketing the smell of Buffy's blood. He was out of the car and rushing at the nurse before anyone could even open the door for him. There was a nurse waiting and he thanked whoever phoned ahead and let them know they had an emergency coming in. The private hospital was always more than willing to help whenever one of his men needed to be looked over or needed repair done after missions.

After placing Buffy carefully onto the waiting gurney, the nurses immediately started wheeling her to the operating room, "What happened?" she didn't really need to ask him, it was obvious what she'd been through just be looking at her body. Her once white shirt was now a deep brown from the blood seeping from her wounds.

Angelus clutched Buffy's hand in his as he ran next to the gurney, "Three gunshot wounds and a stabbing wound in her upper thigh. We tried applying pressure but it didn't help, she's lost a lot of blood." Angelus didn't even recognize his own voice, it sounded raw and jagged, just like was feeling at the moment.

The nurse had only been paying attention to Buffy and didn't look at Angelus until now, she did a double take at him, "Are you hurt?" by the look of him, he shouldn't be walking, much less running alongside them if he was injured.

Angelus frowned at her, not sure what she meant, until he followed the trail of her eyes; his own eyes bulged at the sight, "No, it's hers…" his torso was covered in blood his shirt and Kevlar stained a deep red; he looked like a butcher, all that was missing was the knife and the carcass…well, the body they were wheeling towards the O.R. could be considered the carcass.

Not sparing him another glance, she pressed the gurney faster towards the operating room, "Move people!" she shouted in urgency, it was urgent to get the woman into surgery right away…no one could survive after losing that much blood.

As they ran, they passed people but Angelus didn't see anything except Buffy, her face now as pale as a sheet. "Good…God…" Angelus' head shot up at the familiar voice. Giles stood ahead of them, his eyes fixed on Buffy's body. His face went three shades whiter in a matter of seconds, then turned a faint green. He didn't move from his spot as they wheeled Buffy past them and into the emergency room.

Angelus refused to let her hand go; he'd go into the operating room if he had to; just had to make sure she'd be alright and well taken care of. "You have to let go now sir, let us do our jobs and do what we can for her." the nurse said as she pried his hand from Buffy's. His grip was like a vise and when she couldn't get him to let go, she nailed him with a hard glare and slapped at his hands, "Let go" she ground out. That did the trick and Angelus finally released Buffy's hand. Instantly the nurse's expression softened. She gave the formerly slapped hand a firm squeeze, "We'll look after her" then disappeared with Buffy through the door.

"What the hell happened?" Giles asked, only feet away from him, "Are you hurt?" he asked urgently, taking in Angelus' bloody appearance. His team never suffered serious injuries, and on the rare occasion that there were injuries, they weren't this severe.

Gunn told him Forrest broke his leg while fighting with one of the criminals but he refused to say who else had been injured, now he understood why. The look of Buffy's body was burned into his memory for all time. Was this his fault? Had Angelus been right the whole time when he told Giles she wasn't fit to be in the field? He should have listened; Angelus knew better than anyone what happens in the field. Giles himself didn't know anything in regards to that. Feeling his last meal change directions, he rushed to the nearest bathroom.

Angelus saw Giles rush into the bathroom but barely registered why. The white doors of the emergency room were staring at him, taunting him with the fact that he couldn't go past them and go to Buffy; those two doors stood between them. Sighing, he wanted to run his hand through his hair, but the blood on his arms halted the movement. Looking at the limbs like they weren't his, his body started shaking, most likely going into shock now that he calmed down a bit.

"Come on mate, let's get you cleaned up before we go check on Forrest." Spike's voice was reassuring and managed to calm him a bit. He could only imagine how the other members of the team were feeling about what happened to Buffy. To them, she was like family, like their little sister and now they could do nothing but stand by and hope she survived.

In the haste to get Buffy to the hospital, he'd entirely forgotten about Forrest. Spike told him that Gunn brought him in right after they arrived with Buffy and was in surgery now. As spike lead Angelus into a bathroom; his mind failed to calm down, still replaying the image of Buffy over and over.

Twenty minutes later, he was cleaned as best he could, dressed in the shirt Spike produced from who knows where, and waiting impatiently on news on their team mates. Forrest was out first and wheeled into a private room. He regained consciousness quicker than expected and wanted to know about Buffy the second his eyes opened.

Five hours later they still hadn't heard anything. "Who shot her?" Forrest asked finally, causing everyone to look over at Angelus for the answer. Truth was, he didn't get a look at who shot her; he'd been too consumed by fear and rage to spare her would be murdered a second though. He didn't regret shooting and killing the Russian, he deserved far worse for what he did to Buffy.

Gunn answered when he saw the turmoil on Angelus face, "It was Novikov that shot her. But he isn't dead…" his sentence trailed off as everyone started talking at once. Angelus' angry voice silenced everyone.

"What the hell do you mean he's not dead, I shot him six times." His eyes had gone pitch black as he stared at Gunn. No one could survive that, not even a big man like Bruce Novikov. Every shot he took landed in his back…but Angelus didn't see where his bullets entered him and he also didn't check before he rushed to Buffy's side. Nothing mattered except getting to Buffy in that instant; knowing it was crucial to act quickly.

A doctor entered at that moment, once again ceasing all talk in the room. When Angelus saw the doctor enter, he pushed himself out of his chair and rushed at him, "Is she okay?" What if she wasn't? What if she didn't make it and they'd been too late to save her? He knew he wouldn't be able to live with himself then; knowing he was most probably the reason she didn't make it out alive.

The doctor's face was grim as he spoke, "She's stable for now. She lost a lot of blood and that isn't working in her favor at the moment. One bullet missed her heart by mere inches but she has severe internal damage. We repaired what he could so I'm optimistic. Her leg however… I'm afraid her mayor tendons and ligaments were damaged by the stabbing, the muscles nearly completely severed. We won't know anything else until she wakes up." He didn't have to say 'if she wakes up'; that lingered in the air like a scream.

The words stabbed Angelus in his heart as he listened to the doctor. All that mattered was that she'd life, the rest could be handled later, "Can I see her?" he looked expectantly at the doctor, daring him to deny him this one request. Even if the doctor said no, he would raid this hospital looking for her.

"She's very heavily sedated and won't know your there. You can check in but only two people at a time and no more than five minutes. She won't wake up anytime soon though, we're keeping her sedated until we are sure she's in the clear." The doctor answered, knowing by the look on the man's face that he wouldn't take no for an answer. As he pushed past him, the doctor snapped out his hand and grabbed his wrist, "She's in pretty bad shape; just to warn you." Then he released his hand and let the man go; knowing how shocked he was going to be when he saw her.

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THE SOUND of beeping monitors greeted Angelus and Giles as they entered Buffy's room. She lay motionless in the bed, her face as white as the sheets covering her battered body. Dark circles around her eyes made them appear sunken. Various tubes and monitors were connected to her, monitoring her heartbeat and who knew what else. These machines were probably keeping her alive…they controlled her breathing, pumped air into her and willed her heart to beat, just to keep her alive.

When a nurse entered and pulled the sheet farther up her body, he knew it was to shield the damage from their eyes. Giles chocked back a sob before turning and walking out of the room; the sight of her too much for him to bear. Nearing the bed, he took her hand in his; it was icy cold and he wondered if they had extra blankets around that he could cover her with. When he asked the nurse, she smiled and left, only to return moments later with the requested blanket. Instead of placing it on Buffy herself, she handed it to Angelus, sensing he needed to undertake the small task himself.

Staring at her face, he willed her to open her eyes, to look at him and reassure him she was going to be alright and that things would be back to normal in minutes. Against his better judgment; he peeled away the blanket and sheet; he needed to make sure they attended to her wounds properly. She was clad in a flimsy hospital gown; only a small barrier to shield her from the cold that was seeping into her body. Gently running his hand over her thigh, he felt the ridge of thick bandages wrapped securely around the wound. Next his hand traveled to her shoulder where one bullet penetrated her, before he could go any further, the nurse gently placed her hand over his; stopping his movements. At the feel of her warm hand on his, Angelus felt the first of his tears fall, making silent tracks down his face.

"Don't torture yourself Mr. Navarro. She's comfortable now and I promise not to leave her side." The nurse was sincere, her voice gentle and understanding. She replaced the sheet and blanket, tucked Buffy in and placed her hands under the covers as well, hoping to warm them up. His team members each took turns to see her; not saying one word as he sat silently by her side. When the doctor ushered them out, Angelus begrudgingly stood and left.

He took a seat right outside her door, making himself as comfortable as he could on the cold tile floor. When Spike later roused him, he was shocked to see that it was morning and he'd fallen asleep hours ago. Pulled to his feet and dragged to the car, he was told they were going back to the mansion to get cleaned up and rest. The thought of leaving her made him angry but the look on Spike's face was enough to make him keep his mouth shut. As soon as he showered and got a few hours sleep, they could go back…that was the only thing that kept him sane for the next few hours.

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FIVE DAYS LATER

LOS ANGELES PRIVATE HOSPITAL

THE HEAVY fog clouding her mind slowly started to clear up, bit by bit, yet Buffy struggled to grip onto reality. Her eyes fluttered open but fell closed again; too tired and unable to force her eyes to cooperate. When was the last time she slept? As a persistent pain in her torso and leg continued to throb, Buffy knew she was waking up, slowly drifting back to reality. This time when she opened her eyes, they stayed open; her vision however refused to focus and all she could see were large blurs of pale color.

When the nurse heard a soft sound, she glanced up from her chart and saw the patient's eyes starting to open. Placing her hand on Buffy's in reassurance, she spoke softly to her, "Welcome back dear." She was surprised the young woman was even awake, but happy none the less. Over the past five days she'd had her doubts about the young woman regaining consciousness.

Buffy finally managed to focus on the nurse's friendly face, "Where am I?" her voice was rough and her throat sore, making her words sound guttural. As she scanned her surroundings, she saw what the room looked like and started to panic. Why would she be in the hospital? This wasn't good. Buffy's eyes traveled to her side and she saw numerous monitors beeping away. When she tired sitting up, she nearly cried out in pain but she pushed it aside, she had to get up and get out of here.

The nurse didn't appear panicked or even surprised when Buffy started struggling, "Calm down dear. You've got serious injuries and need to take it easy." Buffy seemed to calm down slightly but she was straining and her wounds would most likely start to bleed if she didn't calm down. Removing a syringe she had in her pocket, she turned her back to Buffy and injected it into the drip, the fluid going into Buffy's bloodstream instantly, causing her to calm down.

When Buffy felt her body calm down against her will, she wanted to weep; she didn't want to go through this again, she couldn't be helpless, and whatever that nurse just injected her with caused her body to betray her. Silent tears started running down her cheeks as she felt her body loose all resistance. "I'll go get Mr. Giles for you dear." The nurse said as she patted her hand then left the room.

When Giles entered a few minutes later, Buffy felt somewhat relieved to have him there with her; his familiar face helping to keep her calm. Tears shined in his eyes as he leaned over her and gave her an awkward hug. He poured his power into her and Buffy closed her eyes, absorbing the feeling. After a while he pulled away and gripped her hand in his, "I'm so happy you're awake." He didn't need to say anything else; his expression said all he was feeling. It was obvious from his disheveled appearance and bloodshot eyes that he hadn't gotten much rest since she last saw him.

The nurse told Giles that she gave Buffy a calming agent and that she would be falling asleep again soon. Giles nodded reluctantly, "Do you remember what happened?" He didn't have to ask her how she was feeling, that much was evident by the state she was in.

Buffy thought for a second, racking her brain to give her the answers she was looking for. In a flash, everything returned to her, closing her eyes as if in pain, the images flashed through her mind. Unconsciously her hand moved to her injured thigh, feeling the ridge of the bandage there. The throbbing in her torso returned with full force, nearly knocking the wind from her lungs.

Giles watched silently as tears ran down Buffy's pale face, his heart breaking at the sight of her in obvious misery. He wanted to say something to her, but what was there to be said? What do you say to someone that almost died? Nothing…he couldn't think of one thing. "I'm so sorry Buffy. This shouldn't have happened…I'm sorry…"

"Did everyone make it out alright?" Buffy asked after a while, praying to God that no one got hurt. When she focused on Giles again, he seemed shocked by her question, frowning slightly at her. She didn't want to think about herself or her injuries; that would just make it all the more real and she wasn't sure if she could deal with it just yet.

"Everyone is fine. Forrest sustained a broken leg but he's doing well." He answered anyway. Her question caught him off guard, even though he knew it shouldn't have. Buffy never liked to draw people's attention and the fact that she was now the centre of attention was making her uncomfortable.

Buffy nodded, relieved that everyone survived; al least Nivikov's men hadn't gotten to them like he thought. "When can I leave?" this time her question was firmer, catching Giles completely off guard this time.

"Buffy…" he started, at a loss for words and shocked at the determination he saw in her eyes. "You'll have to stay a few more days. Your injuries are rather…severe…and they need to monitor you. As you requested in your contract, I haven't phoned your parents yet. I'd be more than happy to contact them for you now." Buffy shook her head, just like he expected. He could understand her reasoning; she didn't want to worry them too soon or unnecessarily. But what if she'd lapsed into a coma? Could he still honor her wishes and not contact her parents?

"I guess you can debrief me now." Buffy said with a small, sad smile on her pale face. To her relief, he did as requested. Afterwards, Buffy gripped his hand tightly in hers. She was going to miss him. The last few months he had been like a father to her and it felt like she was leaving yet another piece of herself behind. "I'm going to miss you Giles." She said, her throat tightening up with emotion.

"It was an honor working with you Buffy. Although I wish things could have been different, I enjoyed working with you and you are welcome to come back anytime if you decide to." Giles didn't know what else to say. Nothing would change Buffy's mind. She was hard headed and persistent and once she made up her mind, nothing would change it. "You know…it's not too late to change your mind." He tried one last time, hoping against hope that she would give in.

Buffy smiled at him, admiring his persistence, "Thank you Giles, but I've made my decision." Hard as it was, the decisions had been made and even though it saddened her, she knew it was the best for everyone involved. No matter how much she would have liked to stay on with them, it just wasn't possible; and she knew it would never work; not just because of Angelus, but because now she knew that she wasn't good enough for them…the fact that she was lying in a hospital bed was enough evidence of that. For the first time in twelve years, one of the Hyperion team members were hospitalized, and she was sure it wouldn't have happened if it hadn't been for her; their record would have remained spotless.

Giles nodded finally, feeling his emotions rising up again. "Well then, let me not hog you, the men have been driving everyone crazy to see you…"

Buffy nearly swallowed her tongue when Giles said that, "No! Giles please, I…can't see anyone right now. Please just…keep them away. This is hard enough and it will only be worse if I see them now." She didn't want to say that it was Angelus she wanted to see so badly; that it would be too hard to know that he didn't even care about what happened to her and wouldn't even show some compassion by showing up, pretending to care how she was doing. No, the resentment and anger he held in his eyes were enough to last her a lifetime and she didn't care to raise up old ghost now.

Giles nodded after a while and instead of leaving, took a seat next to her. Neither said anything, but Buffy was grateful beyond belief for the silent support he offered her. Reaching down, she clasped his hand in her own. He didn't remove his hand, even as she fell asleep, he clasped her hand tightly.

Looking down at her sleeping form, Giles couldn't help but think back to the night she came to him a few weeks ago. When he saw her red eyes he was immediately concerned but she brushed off his questions and said she needed to speak with him about something very important. He nearly choked on is tea when she said her piece. Nothing could have prepared him for what she wanted and he was stupid to have missed the signs.

Buffy wanted a transfer back to the San Diego Police department as soon as possible. The only explanation she provided was that she wasn't cut out for the team and wanted to go home. She'd tried hiding the hurt in her eyes from him but once he saw it, he knew exactly why she wanted to leave. She was aware of the binding contract she signed, but the look of desperation on her face told him that nothing would change her mind.

He hated that she didn't confide in him the real reasons she had about wanting to leave; and even more upset that she felt the only way to rectify it was by leaving something she was clearly very passionate about. Despite what she said and might think; she _was_ cut out to be part of the team; Buffy was the best he'd seen in years and he doubted he would ever find someone like her ever again.

So he did what she asked, even though it broke his heart. He changed her contract, allowing her to leave as she requested. There was only one loophole; since she'd been working on the Novikov case from the beginning, she would have to see it through and go on one last mission with the team. After completing the mission, she would leave Los Angeles and head home the same night; no one except her and Giles knew and that was how she preferred it. He knew it was her way of dealing and he wasn't about to begrudge her that, everyone dealt in their own way and at this point, he cared more about what Buffy wanted than upsetting a few grown men.

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THE NEXT morning, Giles was nearly plowed over by Angelus and the team, everyone wanting to know how Buffy's doing and eager to see her. They all talked at once, giving him a splitting headache he wasn't in the mood for. Without bothering to silence them, he started speaking, not caring if they heard or not, "Buffy's doing better. She's still under heavy sedation and will remain as such for the next couple of days until the doctors believe she's in the clear." The voices died down the second he started talking.

"Can we check in on her?" Angelus asked anxiously, the worried expression on his face mirrored by everyone else. Even though he knew Giles wouldn't lie about her well being, he just wanted to see for himself, touch her to make sure she was indeed alright. He knew she wasn't in the clear just yet, her injuries were severe and there was no way she would be able to leave anytime soon; at least that gave him some time.

Giles regarded Angelus with silent fury, "No, I'm afraid not. The doctors advised that she not be disturbed while she recuperates." The urgency in Angelus' voice was something he never heard before, but he wasn't about to question it now. As much as he respected and loved Angelus, he wasn't particularly fond of him at the moment.

Without bothering to say anything else, he strolled out of the hospital. Buffy needed some things and he assured her he'd have them the second she woke up. All of her things were already packed and waiting to head back to San Diego, but luckily she always kept spare clothing and toiletries at the mansion for after missions.

As per Buffy's request, he'd phoned her parents and told them Buffy sustained a 'small' injury, and would be staying a bit longer than expected. They both hated lying to her parents but she warned him that if they knew the full story, no one in L.A. would have a moment of piece; and she felt she didn't have the energy to deal with them right now. They knew Buffy was moving back to San Diego, although they didn't know why, they were happy to have her back. Due to her injury, she would have to move in with them as she wouldn't be able to manage on her own for a while.

On his way to the mansion, he called the moving company and instructed them to take her stuff to San Diego. Once Buffy was ready to be released for the hospital, her things would already be sorted and in place. Even though she wasn't looking forward to staying with her parents, she knew she had no other choice and consoled herself that as soon as she was able, she'd be back in her own place. The fact that she would have to live with her parents would be enough motivation for her to speed up her recovery.

Angelus looked at Giles' retreating back with growing suspicion; something was up with him, and it wasn't just that fact that Buffy was laying in a hospital bed fighting for her life. He'd never seen Giles act so curt with him before; that alone gave him away. Obviously Giles blamed him for what happened with Buffy; he understood that, he blamed himself as well. Maybe this had been harder on him than any of them realized. Everyone knew he was very fond of Buffy, but lately they'd picked up that Giles cared for her on a 'fatherly' level.

Like him, everyone was affected in differently. Everyone felt for Buffy in their own way, and he didn't care if anyone though he was acting strange or out of character. If he wasn't pacing a hole in the floor, he was nagging nurses on her condition and wanted an update every few minutes. The answers were always the same, 'she's doing fine.' 'She's better and sleeping.' Those few words wanted to drive him up the wall. At least they nurses seemed understanding and didn't mind his constant nagging.

Since they'd gotten a few days off after the mission and what happened with Buffy, they'd all been at the hospital every single day. They were like a bunch of watchdogs, taking shifts every few hours, not leave her unattended for one second. Although they weren't allowed near her room, the waiting room and Forrest's room did just fine.

He thought back to their earlier days; when Buffy was uninjured and Forrest didn't have a broken leg; to the days they trained together and went on missions. Sure none of their missions were easy, but this last one scared him like nothing ever has. The sight of her bleeding on that floor would haunt him forever. The incident kept flashing through his mind over and over, and he kept running scenarios through his mind, thinking how he could have handled the situation differently.

So many questions plagued his mind and he wished the answers were simple to come by. What the hell was Buffy doing way back there? Why was she alone and separated from her team? Had she suffered more than he knew? What else happened before she was shot and found? Was she taken or lead there on purpose; with the intent to separate her and murder her silently as a message to them? Only one person could give him the answers, and she wasn't fit so see anyone at the moment.

That night at the party, Novikov seemed taken with Buffy, maybe even liked her; was that way he shot her, to get back at her for the part she played in his downfall? Bruce Novikov was a very violent man; he'd seen pictures and heard the grotesque stories about what he's capable of. Someone as petite as Buffy would never be able to match up to him, much less defend themselves against him. The Russian didn't care if it was a man or a woman on the receiving end of his torture; he simply just didn't care and wouldn't even think twice about killing someone if they got in his way.

Angelus struggled under the weight of his regret and guilt. Buffy was injured because her team leader hadn't been looking out for her. He didn't spare her a second glance after they entered the building, just left her to her own devises, without any guidance or reassurance that he would be there to catch her if she fell. According to him, she was never part of the team and he made sure she knew that, knew how he felt about her; openly displaying his disdain towards her. Even though he always kept a close eye on her during missions, she didn't know that. For all she knew, he didn't even care if she made it out alive. But he'd always tried to be as close as possible to her during missions, always paring her with him or at least with Spike, not just for safety reasons, but also to have her near him.

No wonder she always scattered after missions, she didn't want to be around him anymore than necessary. Despite the team's ongoing requests to join them for dinner after missions, she always declined, but not before her eyes shot to him. She'd been civil and respectful the entire time she'd been there, acted professional and never let her emotions get in the way. In truth, she was one of the best agents he'd ever seen. The thought of Buffy hating him made his heart clench painfully. He knew she most probably despised him and he didn't blame her. He just hoped she would give him the chance to make it up to her.

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ONE WEEK LATER

ANGELUS ANGRILY paced the mansion lobby; his temper climbing higher with each passing second. Once again, Giles had been avoiding his questions and requests to see Buffy for more than a week now and he was starting to get really suspicious. Even when he asked the nurses for information, their replies seemed calculated, like something they rehearsed over and over again. At this point, he was just about ready to barge into Buffy's room and take anyone down who stood in his way.

When Giles finally arrived back from the hospital, Angelus charged at him, "What the hell is going on Giles? Why can't we see her?" Behind him, the team nodded, each one of them feeling the same. When Giles didn't answer him, he felt like screaming at him.

"Buffy's not fit to see anyone yet." His answer was curt as he tried to push past them. Angelus stared after him, not intending to let him off this time, he wanted answers and Giles was going to give them to him. Giles was definitely hiding something and he was through waiting.

Turning on his heel, he ignored Giles' answer, "Screw this, I'm going over there." He muttered in a hushed tone so Giles couldn't hear him, but audible for his team members. Grabbing his car keys, he marched out, the men following on his heels. He didn't care what Giles said, there was something going on and if he insisted on not telling them, then he would find out on his own. If something happened to Buffy and Giles deliberately withheld information from him, there would be hell to pay.

They arrived at the hospital ten minutes later and everyone was sure they violated every traffic law to get there. But there was no stopping Angelus when he was determined. As they walked into the hospital towards Buffy's room, some of the hospital staff saw the look on their faces and ducked out of the way, not willing to land in the crossfire; a wise decision on their part.

Ignoring the visiting hours sign, he pushed inside the terminal and marched straight to Buffy's room. When he was a nurse tidying up the room, his suspicions were realized, his heart jumped into his throat. "Has Buffy Summers been moved to another room?" he asked the nurse at the nursing station.

She was a bit startled at seeing him, but quickly gathered herself and looked through the room chart. "Miss Summers was discharged this morning. Her father checked her out at ten." She answered with a smile on her face, the smiled faltered as she saw the look on Angelus' face. Suddenly she felt like she'd done something wrong and needed to get out of the way quickly. Before she could move, Angelus took the chart from her and scanned the patient files. He wasn't allowed but she wasn't about to try and take them from him, she'd rather deal with the consequences later than face this angry man.

Angelus stared silently at the woman, thinking she was insane and not fit to work as a nurse, especially not in the hospital where Buffy was being treated. He grabbed the chart from her and scanned the notes himself. Just like the nurse said, Buffy had indeed been discharged at ten that morning, to the care of Hank Summers.

Scanning the chart with a quick eye, he saw that her condition was 'stable'. Muscles and ligaments were damaged in her leg and she would have to do physical therapy to regain full operation. Suffered from bouts of nausea and refused to take pain medication. At her persistence, she was released early and the hospital arranged with their personal physician to check in on her as well as assigned a personal home care nurse. His eyes squinted when he saw that she woke up for the first time five days after the incident. Giles told them she'd been sedated the whole time.

Slamming the chart down, he stalked out of the hospital. Now he knew why Giles had been acting so strange the last couple of days. Pulling his phone from his pocket, he dialed his team manager and waited anxiously for Giles to answer. When Giles finally answered, Angelus didn't even bother hiding his anger, "Where the hell is she Giles? They say she was discharged this morning." He clenched and unclenched his fist at his side in an attempt to keep calm…it wasn't working.

The line went silent on Giles' end and he could have sworn he heard the man swallow harshly, "Angelus, I think it would be best if you came back to the mansion so that I can explain." So Giles wanted to sprout more lies at him? Not a chance in hell. Cutting the connection with Giles while he was still speaking, he stalked past his men. Silently, they all got into the car, no idea where they were headed, but not caring either.

Angelus had never been to Buffy's place before, but he remembered the listed address from her file. Skidding to a halt, he left the car idling as he marched to her front door. Halfway there, he stopped dead in his tracks as he saw the "FOR SALE" sign. Looking inside the window, he saw the place was empty, not even so much as a stray paper bag laying around. Jumping back into his car, he gunned it back to the mansion, ready for some honest answers.

Giles was waiting for them in the lobby when they arrived back at the mansion. His face was calm and collected, and he didn't flinch when Angelus angrily spoke at him, "Tell me what's going on, and don't leave anything out. I want the truth this time." How could he lie to them like that when he knew how worried they'd been? He was so angry he was shaking. His fists clenched at his side as his stomach turned. Had something happened to Buffy? He'd never been so angry in his life, not even when Giles recruited Buffy without his consent.

Giles took a deep breath as he stared into the eyes of a man he considered his son, he hated lying to him and knew Angelus would find out the truth eventually, what was the use hiding it now. "Two weeks ago, Buffy came to me and requested a transfer back to San Diego. Buffy didn't discuss the particulars of her reason with me, but she did say that she wasn't cut out for the team. At her request, I changed her contract. The Novikov mission was her last with the Hyperion Special Forces. She was scheduled to leave the day after the mission. As per her request, I remained silent about her decision to leave." As he spoke, he looked at Angelus, his gaze unwavering.

Angelus was stunned speechless, unable to fathom the words he just heard, "What do you mean she requested a transfer? She applied for the job so how can she just…" it was unheard of for someone to quit Special Forces, much less the Hyperion team. And how the hell had Giles managed to change her contract?

At the shock on Angelus' face, Giles' temper flared, "I'm pretty sure you know why Angelus. You're the reason she wanted to leave. You're terrible treatment of her was a sure fire way to push her out. You never once even _tried _to get to know her or make it work with her. You couldn't put aside you ego and just open yourself to the possibilities. Well Angelus, it worked… Buffy's out, you got your wish." By now Giles was grinding his teeth, trying to hold back from saying something he might regret later.

Angelus was dumbfounded as he looked at Giles' retreating form. Giles never lost his temper, not even in the most strenuous situations. The fact that he lost it now was a clear indication of how he felt. Before Giles was out of range, Angelus pleaded, "Giles…please…" the misery evident in his strained voice. He didn't care how he sounded or that the men wiped their heads around to look at him with shocked expressions. All that mattered to him was Buffy.

Giles stopped, but didn't turn to him, "Just leave that girl be Angelus, you've done enough damage." Then he continued his descend back up the stairs. He couldn't deal with anyone right now, least of all Angelus; who he blamed for all this. The lost of Buffy was still too raw he was scared he might break down in front of them.

Angelus heard Spike utter a curse before they entered the entertainment room. He could do nothing but stare at the spot Giles just vacated. So it was true, Buffy did leave because of him. She'd fled and left her dream behind because she couldn't handle him anymore. At some point everyone caved, in Buffy's case, she lasted longer than most would have, but she still caved under enough pressure.

There was no way to make it up now, nothing he could do to make this better. When people called him an arrogant asshole, they were right. He never once opened up to the possibility that Buffy might be good for the team, even after he saw she was more than capable. Since their last recruit five years ago, he'd never seen anyone with the drive and determination Buffy had. He discriminated against her because she's a woman and his lack of leadership nearly got her killed, maybe scarred for the rest of her life. He would never forgive something like that, and neither would Buffy; no matter how compassionate and kind hearted she was.

Determination settled in his gut. He would make this better, even if he had to go to extremes and do what he'd never done before. But nothing ever mattered as much to him as this did. Angelus knew better than to ask Giles anything else; if he wanted to make amends, he'd have to do it on his own.

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TWO WEEKS LATER

SAN DIEGO

ANGELUS STOOD nervously on the porch of Buffy's parent's home; his fist hovering over the door, poised to knock. It was his third attempt to knock and he chided himself for being a coward. He'd come this far and he wasn't turning back until he spoke with Buffy and said his piece. There was a lot he wanted to say and do, but the first thing he needed to do was talk to Buffy and tell her everything. It had taken him a week to get her address in San Diego and another week to drag together the courage to come and face her; at her parent's home no less. Most probably he would be shot and killed before he even announced his presence. Idly he wondered if she had any older brothers or lovers he would have to fight off; not that he cared, he would do anything to talk to her, including face off with her father if he had to.

Taking a deep breath, he knocked and waited patiently for the door to be answered. Footsteps could be heard and he took a step back front he door. The door swung open and an elderly man with graying hair and friendly green eyes entered the door. He smiled as he looked at Angelus as he greeted him.

"Uh…Hi…Does Buffy Summers live here?" He knew he had the right address, he checked it three times but suddenly he didn't know what to do. Being here seemed like he was invading on her turf, invading her personal space.

"Yes she does." Hanks' smile was friendly but cautious, and Angelus was just waiting for the riffle he had hidden behind his back. Oddly, looking into the man's eyes, Buffy's eyes, he knew this man would never hurt anyone. Maybe just someone who hurt his baby girl…meaning him.

Angelus swallowed down the lump in his throat. The man was protective of Buffy, it was evident in the way he eyed Angelus. He respected that, would have felt the same if he were the one 'guarding' Buffy. "I'm sorry for barging in, but I was hoping to see Buffy. I'm a …friend…from L.A." 'Friend' wasn't the word to use but he wasn't about to give himself away just to have her father send him away. A little white lie never hurt anyone and he didn't care if he had to resort to that to see her.

"Who should I say is calling?" Hank Summers asked, looking patiently at him, seemingly understanding his inner turmoil.

"Angelus Navarro, sir." Angelus answered as he stuck out his hand towards the older man. Ok so he couldn't lie and give a fake name, what if Buffy refused to see him because she didn't know the name? He cursed himself the second his name was announced and was getting ready to be attacked. What he didn't expect, was to be pulled into the house with a firm grip with more force than he expected.

Realization flashed in the old man's face and his expressions went from cautious to surprised, "Well it's an honor to meet you Mr. Navarro, come on in son." He said as he stepped out of the way and Angelus stepped into the house. Hank closed the door behind him and immediately he felt at ease with the older man. His reaction however, did startle him a bit. "Buffy spoke very highly of you. She told us you were in the Special Forces together and what a great team leader you are. Every week we spoke she couldn't wait to tell me how great you and your team were. I always looked forward to hearing what you did each week and Buffy couldn't stop telling me how good you were to her."

That was the last thing he expected to hear. As he looked over at Hank in amazement, he saw the man was telling the truth. Buffy did actually speak highly of him to her father. Even after he treated her like dirt and never said one kind word to her, she still respected him and didn't bad mouth him to her parents. "Buffy's outside with her mother and Maggie. Let me take you through." Hand said as he led the way through their home to the back.

When he and Hand arrived outside, his breath caught and he came to an abrupt halt; Buffy sat bathed in the sun at an outside table with two older women, chatting. She looked absolutely breathtaking and was a beautiful sight to his sore eyes. His memory did her no justice and she was even more beautiful than he remembered. Her hair was down her back and she wore a tank top with black three quarter pants; the clothes were casual, but they had a very 'non casual' affect on him.

"Buffy, you have a visitor." Hank's voice caused the women to stop their chatter and turn around to face them. Buffy's smile died the second she laid eyes on him and he felt yet another stab of guilt. Actually, he should have expected her reaction. A smile would have been a nice greeting but he didn't get his hopes up for that; he doubted Buffy would ever smile at him.

"Ange…Liam, what are you doing here?" her slip seemed to go unnoticed, for which she was grateful. Wouldn't it just piss him off if she called him by something he insisted she shouldn't. It was just that unexpected to see him, of all people, standing in her back yard. The name sort of slipped out and she luckily she caught it before he realized. Turmoil raged inside her, all her emotions jumbling together; fear, shock, familiarity…longing.

Damn he still looked just as good as she remembered…better actually. Clad in his usual jeans and t-shirt, he still made her heart beat a mile a minute. It was good seeing him; even though she could only guess why he was here.

She tried hiding the shock and apprehension in her voice but he immediately picked it up. It was obvious that she was uncomfortable, and if the name slip was anything to go by, he was sure he caught her totally off guard, just like he hoped. Her hands disappeared under the table; he'd notice her do it a few time while she was at the mansion. Once he caught a glimpse of her doing it and looked under the table to see what it was she did, and to his surprise, she wrung her fingers whenever she got nervous; which was understandable, seeing as he was intruding on her.

He descended the steps and made the short distance to where she was sitting. He introduced himself and noticed the one woman was the private nurse. Buffy scoffed under her breath as her mother looked charmed by his greeting and charisma. Angelus heard it but didn't react. Maybe it would help if he charmed her mother a bit; mothers always did no best and if she told Buffy to give him a chance…who was she to deny her mother's advice?

After he finished charming her mother and the private nurse, instead of taking a seat or towering over her, he kneeled down before her, "I needed to see you. We didn't get a chance to talk before you left…" He trailed off, gauging her reaction. Like always, he could read her emotions through her eyes and he saw the utter disbelief and shock there. It took all his strength not to take her hand in his and beg while on his knees. "Can we talk, please?" He asked politely and he saw her do a double take at his polite enquiry. Asking was something entirely new to him, he never asked, he took; but he was more than willing to change that for her. When he demanded things from her in the past, she usually huffed and refused, so he's give the asking thing a try to see how it went.

Buffy's eyes nearly bulged as she heard him actually politely enquire something of her. Even though she thought this should be marked in the history books, she didn't comment as she gathered it took a lot for him to just ask. "Uh…sure, let's go inside and I'll get us something to drink." She said as she awkwardly stood up with the assistance of a cane he hadn't noticed before. As she moved, she tried hiding her limp, but was unsuccessful. His eyes strayed down her leg and he saw the tell tale ridges in her pants from the bandaging around her wound.

It looked painful to walk and he before he could hide his shock, he saw her blush and move her hand to her injured leg, trying to obscure his view, "It's still a bit sore. Hope you don't mind walking slowly, I'm still not back up to speed yet." She said with an awkward smile, trying to avoid his gaze as she tentatively moved towards the house as he fell in step next to her.

Seeing Buffy blush was possibly the cutest thing he ever saw, but the hint of embarrassment in her voice wasn't. Why would she be embarrassed? Was she self conscious about the wound, or was it the fact that she got injured while in the field? That embarrassment was his fault because he always shamed her into believing she wasn't good enough. Without thinking, he stepped towards her and bent down, then carefully scooped her up in his arms, "Here…let me…" pressing her tightly against his body, he settled his one arm around her back and the other behind her knees. Angelus tried his best not to show how affected he was with her pressed against him. It felt wonderful having her that close; close enough that he could smell her hair and feel her body heat radiate into him.

Grabbing her cane, he carried her towards the house he just came from. When she placed her one hand on his chest and the other around his shoulder for support, he smiled to himself in satisfaction. He hadn't been thinking about what her reaction might be to him touching her, let alone picking her up. When she didn't say anything and instead relaxed into him, he felt a small sense of victory, even if it might be short lived. As they stepped into the kitchen and he reached the table, he was reluctant to put her down, the feeling of her in his arms too good. She smiled an awkward smile at him when he placed her in the chair and he took one opposite her. Shock was still on her face and he threw her a cautious smile of his own.

"What can I get you to drink?" despite her insides feeling like jelly, her voice sounded firmer, much to her relief. When he picked her up, she froze in shock and could do nothing but allow him to carry her inside. Not that she minded, being that close and touching him felt wonderful. She'd half expected him to drop her on purpose but when she felt him slightly tighten his arms around her, she felt ashamed for the thought. Thank goodness she was safely in the chair; otherwise she might have tumbled to the ground on account of her weakened limbs.

"Nothing, thank you. I would just like to talk to you, if that's okay?" His tone sounded uncertain and cautious, which was totally out of character for him. Angelus was the most confident person she'd ever met, and for him to seem unsure was totally unheard of…well, maybe Lindsey was a bit more confident than him… Was he bringing bad news? Hopefully not because her heart couldn't handle anymore at the moment.

She heaved a small sigh of relief because she didn't think she would be able to walk. Her physical therapy was going good but her leg was still very painful and she couldn't be on it for more than a few hours at a time. "Sure." Buffy replied as she tried to make herself comfortable in the chair. It was strange sitting across from him, even stranger that he wasn't glaring at her like he always did. They actually appeared like normal people having a normal conversation, though that couldn't be farther for the truth.

She could only imagine how pissed off he must have been when she got injured. Luckily she could avoid that lecture and scolding; and Angelus would have unleashed hell on her as soon as she was able to see people. She guessed that was why he was here now, to gloat at the fact that he won, and he'd been right about her all along. Wringing her hands in anticipation, she waited for the yelling to start.

Now that he had her in front of him, he didn't know what to do. It was a relief to see that she was doing well under the circumstance. The silence stretched out awkwardly but he just didn't know how to tell her what he came here to tell her, "Have you been good? How are your injuries?" He asked instead, stalling for time.

Buffy finally looked up from her hands and settled her gaze on him. That was a very uncharacteristic thing of him to ask. He was supposed to laugh right away, not ask polite questions he didn't care to hear the answer to. As she contemplated, she realized Giles must have sent him. To do what, she wasn't sure. Wow, didn't that hurt? He must have put up a pretty good fight but obviously Giles won. "I'm good thank you. How are the guys? Is Forrest up and about yet?" she'd wondered about him constantly and phoned Giles a few time to get an update on her former team mate's condition.

At the sound of concern in her voice, he felt momentarily jealous of Forrest; she obviously cared about them and just having her ask after him was something that struck him right in the heart. He also hadn't missed that she didn't ask how it was going with him. Giles must have been keeping in touch with her.

Angelus chuckled as he thought of his injured team mate, "Forrest is a pain in the ass with his broken leg. He's going to be off duty for about eight weeks and I don't know how we're going to manage with his constant whining." That earned him a chuckle from her and he absorbed the sound. When she laughed, she sounded happy and relaxed, nothing at all what she was like when she was in the team…correction…with him.

"I'm pretty sure he'll keep you guys entertained when you're off duty though." Buffy smiled as she thought of Forrest. He never really complained about anything…only when he couldn't do what he wanted and she imagined they were going to have their hands full with him. Forrest was hyper active and for him to sit still for a few minutes was like a lifetime accomplishment for him. Angelus was right; they were going to have their hands full with him.

They lapsed into a tense silence again. Buffy felt obligated to speak but she didn't know what to say to him. He also looked uneasy and out of place, this couldn't just be a social call to check in on an old friend or college. It baffled her however that Angelus let Giles pressure him into doing something he clearly didn't want to do.

Before she could say anything to fill the silence, he spoke in a low, strained voice, "You didn't say anything, you just left…" his eyes looked pained and filled with something else she couldn't identify. Looks like Giles sure did a number on him. How the hell had he managed to make Angelus do something he cleared hated? Points to Giles for that one.

When Buffy's eyes shot to his and down again to her hands after his comment, it confirmed that she felt bad about the way she left. He knew it couldn't have been easy for her, she'd been getting along so well with everyone and he could see that Buffy care deeply for them. To just give that all up and leave must have been terrible for her, yet another reason for him to feel guilty about.

Buffy fiddled with her hands again, feeling very awkward and uneasy with the direction the conversation was going in. She didn't want to discuss this with anyone, least of all him. Angelus was the reason she left, the reason she gave up her dream and now for him to sit here and ask her questions about her decision made her feel that much worse. Why couldn't he just have left it alone? Angelus being here was opening up all her wounds, ripping her heart out all over again. "I…It was time for me to go. I needed to recover and I wanted to come home." She knew it didn't give him a clear answer but at the moment she didn't care, it was hard enough trying to keep her emotions in check.

Those last few days with the team had been heaven and hell for her. She and Angelus avoided each other as much as possible, and she tried to spend as much time with the other team members as she could. No one knew how much she would miss them, or how hard it was for her to leave. She always prided herself on the fact that she was strong, capable of handling everything life threw at her, but she couldn't handle this. Couldn't handle the hate she saw in Angelus' eyes every time he looked at her.

"You left because of me" He said after a while, making her gap at him in wonder. Had Giles told him then; obviously so, why else would he be here now? Buffy could only stare at him; what could she possibly say? She didn't want to lie, but she didn't want to tell him he was right either. That would make her failure all the more real. And it wasn't like her injuries weren't enough proof to what an embarrassment she was.

Yes, she left because of him; she also left without a word because facing him scared the crap out of her. He would have wallowed in the situation; point out to Giles that she was indeed unqualified to be in their team, just like he said in the beginning. And Giles would have realized his mistake as well. It would have shattered her if they gave her the boot, so she decided to leave on her own terms before they got the chance. The last mission she nearly cost Gunn his life, and that was a vivid eye opener and she'd never been surer of anything; she didn't belong with them and she needed to leave before she caused more damage.

"I understand why; no one blames you for leaving the way you did. I was a total dick to you and who would want to stay in an environment like that." Angelus knew what he put her through. He knew she left because she felt ashamed and because his constant remarks had finally gotten to her; hurt her. How could anyone want to hurt her?

Buffy rushed to gather words and recover, but all that came out was a strangled gasp, "I was making things difficult for everyone by being there. Not to mention making it difficult for you in your own home. I …didn't belong there in the first place, you were right. I never should have taken the job. It was way out of my league and I only placed you guys in danger by being there." She knew how she sounded, how pathetic yet true her answer was. Would he be happy now that he heard her confess?

What good would it do her anyway to try and hide her hurt from him now; after he left they would never see each other again, would never have to look at each other and fight again. If only it could have been so easy for her; forgetting wasn't an option for her, not when she had had so much to lose…already lost so much.

"It's wasn't you Buffy…you were never…" before he could say anything more, the sounds of cheering and laughter filled the house. By the voices he could tell it was at least three people, and the irritating, screaming voice was a man's, or rather… a boy's. Biting back a growl, he looked on silently as a young man with dark hair entered the kitchen, followed by a red haired woman and a feisty looking brunette. Unconsciously, his eyes drifted to Buffy's face, looking for her reaction, and he was dismayed to see the warm smile on her face.

When they boy came closer to greet her with a hug and enthusiastic comments, Angel felt about ready to haul him over the table by the collar of his stupid blue 'superman' shirt. Just the sight of him having his hands on Buffy was causing his blood to boil; but he was pretty sure Buffy wouldn't be too happy with him if he broke her friends face. No, his mother did actually teach him manners…and the first one was; don't attack your would be lovers friend in her own house…or something like that.

Buffy laughed at him as she returned the hug. The redhead and brunette didn't wait their turns as they all but fell on Buffy, making a huge group hug. He wanted to caution them about her leg and her injuries but he knew Buffy was more than capable of handling herself; plus, it wasn't his place to interfere or even have an opinion about her condition, no matter how much he wanted to and actually cared.

It felt like he was intruding in some way, being here while her friends surrounded her. Looking in on her as an outsider and outcast; he had no place longing to be part of it, but he couldn't help it. Buffy was so comfortable around these people, so relaxed and at ease in their presence, something she never was while she was around him. To know he was the reason she withheld such a big part of herself just because she couldn't trust him, nearly ripped his heart out.

The redhead finally noticed him and took a step back and blushed, Oh, sorry Buffy, we didn't know you have company." The moment her eyes made contact with his again, her blush deepened and she averted her eyes. He smiled at her shyness, thinking what a contrast she was from Buffy and how Buffy's personality might fit with hers. He didn't know the redhead at all, but he'd always been good at reading people and he could tell she was a caring person.

Buffy's gaze shot to him but before she could say anything, the idiot with the ridiculous shirt spoke up snidely, "None sense, I'm sure he doesn't mind sharing." The look he threw at Angelus was probably meant to be threatening, but he failed miserably and Angelus merely lifted is brow at his feeble attempt at marking his territory. The look he sent back at him caused the boy to gulp audibly and take an involuntary step back.

Angelus smirked to himself, making sure the boy saw a flash of his teeth. If there was one thing Angelus was good at, it was staking claim and making sure no one trespassed on his territory; and Buffy's was a 'no go' zone for that boy. He didn't care if Buffy didn't want him in her life or chose to send him away; he'd only leave when she told him to and so far she hadn't done that…yet.

The brunette finally spoke up as she shoved at the boy's shoulder, no doubt scolding him for his remark, "Sorry to interrupt B, But he couldn't stay away a second longer. Your mom shoved us out of the house every time we came by." Her face was friendly and open as she shot a glance at the hunk sitting next to Buffy. Her gaze was cautious, like she knew something he didn't; that made him feel a bit uncomfortable, not that he would show it though. What had Buffy told her friend? It couldn't have been good.

Sticking out her hand, she addressed him with a smile, "I'm Faith. That's Willow and the annoying idiot is Xander; pleased to meet you." Angelus smiled at her, liking her immediately by the way she described the boy. Taking her offered hand, he wasn't surprised that her handshake was firm, yet friendly. It was obvious that she was protective towards Buffy, something more to respect about her.

Willow also shook his hand with a shy smile after he introduced himself then stepped back. He was actually waiting for Xander to reach his hand out so he could crush it in his own, but he merely stood his ground and glared at him, no doubt knowing what he had in mind. 'Clever, now be a good boy and stay down', Angelus chuckled softly to himself at the thought.

Xander made no secret of the fact that he didn't like him, and the feeling was mutual. After watching them fawn over Buffy, it was clear that he wasn't the only one taken with Buffy. Yet Buffy didn't react to him at all that way. It made him breathe a sigh of relief, not that he could imagine her with a loser like that anyway. He'd bet Buffy was physically stronger than him too, and she'd never be content with someone who couldn't even challenge her every once in a while.

Everyone was excited to see her again and kept asking how her recovery was going. He noted that she hadn't told them the full story about what happened; only that she suffered a leg injury while on duty. The more questions they asked, the more he saw fatigue chine in her eyes. When her friends went outside to greet her parents, he reluctantly stood, "I'm sorry if I barged in, it's just…" he trailed off and Buffy felt the air stick in her throat at the sight of him standing over her, he was even more handsome than she remembered. Yet he seemed awkward and unsure. Just as she was about to stand up, his question made her sit back down with a flop, "Have dinner with me tonight. Please?" His request actually sounded like a request, not demanding like he always was. It stunned her and she blinked at the man before her.

"Um.." did he know she would never deny him anything, least of all when he asked so politely? Even though she was still cautious of his reasons for being there, Buffy felt herself give in before even thinking about it or what it could mean. Maybe Angelus found out how she felt about him and now he wanted to turn that against her. Even though she knew he would hurt her beyond repair; she'd never deny him.

"Please, I'll pick you up and take you somewhere nice…even though I don't know the town…" He chuckled at his words and was glad to see her smile in return. Just seeing her smile made him hopeful and feel a renewed sense of determination course through him. Maybe all hope wasn't lost.

"Ok. Dinner would be nice." Buffy knew she was making a mistake, only setting herself up for heartache and disappointment, probably a good tongue lashing as well. But when he spoke to her so politely, it was hard to deny him.

A smile spread over his face, "Great. I'll see you at seven then. Don't worry, I can find my way out." He said as she made to get up. He didn't want her walking on that leg any more than she should. The thought of her in pain was like sticking a hot poker in his heart. Lightly gripping her hand in his, he gave a soft squeeze, the left.

Buffy sat dumbfounded after Angelus left, her hand still tingling form where he gripped it seconds ago. This was nothing like the man she knew back in L.A. Angelus was now something completely different; something she'd only imagined about. Was it even possible for him to be so nice to her, or was it something else? There was no way of knowing and would only find out that night, if he even intended to tell her.

When Faith came back into the kitchen and have a sly grin, she couldn't help but laugh at her friend's optimism. "Tell me everything. And I want details." Faith said enthusiastically. When they arrived and she saw the handsome man Buffy was talking to, there was no doubt in her mind that something was up.

Unlike Buffy's parents, Faith knew exactly what happened in L.A. and why Buffy came back, even about her injuries. When Buffy just came home, Faith slipped past her mother with Hank's help, and stayed with Buffy the entire night. When she saw the unshed tears in her friend's eyes, she held her while she cried and confessed her reasons. Even though Faith wanted to hate Angelus, she could see in his eyes that he actually cared for Buffy. The fact that he came all this way to see her was proof of that. Now all he had to do was tell Buffy and get her to believe him…not an easy feat.

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LATER THAT NIGHT

BUFFY CHECKED herself in the mirror again for the fifth time in three minutes. Casting another crucial glance over her white dress, she contemplated rummaging through her closet for something else. Okay so she was fussing about the dress she was wearing to dinner with Angelus, it was only natural to want to look presentable; it had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that she wanted to look nice for him at all.

"Buffy, you look great. Stop fussing." Faith said from her bed as she was paging through a magazine. Buffy was making her dizzy with all the twirling and fawning; not that she could blame her, she would be doing the same if she were going on a hot date with a seriously hot 'friend'. "So…Angelus…" she trailed off, trying to distract her friend from wearing a hole in the mirror, she wasn't in the mood for another dress change and Buffy looked amazing in what she was wearing. "...he's taking you on a date..."

Buffy tried her best not to flush as she looked at Faith. Throwing on her best 'nonchalant' expression, she answered, "It's not a date, and we're just having dinner, that's all. I'm pretty sure it's going to be a very short dinner because we can't go five minutes without fighting." Buffy said dismayed as she thought about it again. Once again thinking of what a bad idea it was to have dinner with him, she signed. They'd probably be down each other's throats before they even arrived at the restaurant.

Faith snorted as she looked at her friend from her spot on the bed, "Pfft…not a date my ass." Faith said sarcastically. "It's a date Buffy." So her friend was still in denial. Hopefully after tonight that wouldn't be the case anymore.

When the doorbell rang, Faith scrambled of the bed and dashed out of the room before Buffy could even reach for her cane. She felt sorry for her friend's injury, but she did want to talk to her friend's 'date' before they left and with Buffy moving so slow, she could at least her a few words in before she reached them.

Buffy cursed silently as Faith ran from the room, she could only think what Faith was up to, but unfortunately she wouldn't be able to hold her back or even avert her before she reached Angelus. Faith was a great friend and all, but sometimes she just didn't know how to filter; and that got them both into trouble more times than she could count.

As she reached the hall, her blood froze in her veins at the sight of him standing there. He was dressed in black trousers and a dark blue dress shirt that was rolled up, exposing his muscular forearms. The top few buttons were undone, giving her a teasing glimpse of his chest; all she could think about was pulling that shirt away and running her hands up his taunt stomach. Shocked at her line of though, she gave herself a mental shake and took a deep breath.

As Angelus looked up, his breath caught in his throat. Faith was still talking but it faded to the background as all his attention settled on Buffy. The white strapless dress she wore accentuated her toned shoulders and ample bust, the hem ended just below her knee and he guessed she chose the flowing material to hide the bandage that was still wrapped around her thigh. Tonight her hair was down, curling in lose waves around her neck and shoulders.

Even though she still had to use the cane for support, she'd never looked more enticing to him; Buffy in combo pants and a sports bra was very tempting. Buffy in combat gear while on a mission was hot as hell, but Buffy dressed casually in a sun dress was drop dead gorgeous. A smile broke out on his face as he watched her approach him. She stopped before him, her gaze relaxed but cautious. Trying to reassure her, he took her hand in his gently, "Ready to go?" After saying goodbye to Faith, he led Buffy to the car and helped her in, humbled that she had to rely on him for something, albeit small as opening the door; it felt good waiting on her.

Buffy was shocked into silence when Angelus took her hand in his and guided her to the car in a slow pace, he didn't seem to mind at all and she was relieved for that; she'd expected him to get irritated with her because she couldn't move that fast. Buffy knew there was a huge possibility that the night would end in a fight, but she still hoped they could be civil with each other and part on better terms this time.

When they arrived at the restaurant, he opened her door and continued to hold her hand in his even as they walked inside. It felt strange yet very nice, almost like they were normal people on a normal date. After they were shown to their table and comfortably seated, Angelus leaned over slightly towards her, "You look beautiful tonight Buffy." He said honestly.

Buffy nearly choked on her water which caused him to frown at her reaction, "Wow, you've changed. I didn't know Liam Navarro knew how to make a joke." She said instead, brushing his compliment away, casually; when she wished she could belief him. Was he really that cruel that he would mock her like that?

Angelus wasn't pleased at her reaction but didn't blame her for it; after all, it was him that made her react like that. Leaning back into his chair, he looked away and took a sip of his water, "I'm not teasing, just stating the truth." There was sincerity in his voice and a tinge of hurt.

Buffy picked it up and instantly felt bad for what she said. It seemed like he was really making an effort and all she was doing was holding back and thinking of the way he always was. Since he was making the effort, so would she, "Thank you Liam." Her reply was soft and when he looked up, a faint blush tinted her cheeks.

Frowning at her again, he scowled at the name she used. Like he insisted after their first 'encounter', she's always addressed him as Liam, and not Angelus like his team mates and friends. How that remark stung him now; she wasn't even comfortable enough around him to call him by his preferred name. "Please, call me Angel."As he answered, he didn't look away this time, wanting to see her reaction. Just like he expected, her expression was startled, then she nodded and averted her eyes from his, feeling too exposed to him.

Buffy was totally blindsided by his new attitude, and it showed on her face, no matter how she tried to hide it. Something seriously must have happened in order for him to change his attitude towards her like he has now. That thought made her strangely cautious and uneasy, it almost felt like he was forced here against his will, and even though it was nice having him act descent towards her, the fact that it was an act hurt more than she was willing to admit. "You didn't have to come here all the way from L.A. Thank you for the gesture but, you didn't have to go through all the trouble. I asked Giles to keep quiet about my leaving for a reason, so you don't have to feel … obligated to come and clear the air with me." How could she have been so gullible to think he was there for any other reason? Suddenly, tears stung her eyes and she desperately wanted to leave before she made an even bigger fool of herself in front of him.

Angelus' expression was one of confusion, until he pieced it together; she was implying that Giles forced him to come and apologize. She thought he was acting this way because he had no other choice. He couldn't blame her for thinking that. "That's not…Giles didn't make me come here, I'm here because I want to be. I wanted to apologize for being such an asshole to you and to explain, why I was the way I was." When she did nothing but stare at him, he took the only chance her got, "Please Buffy, let me explain." After a few tense seconds, she nodded her head in consent.

"When Giles told us he recruited a woman into the team, I was livid. I couldn't understand why he would do that…it was unheard of to have a woman in such a team, much less ours. I resented you before I even knew you…but when I saw you, I was blown away. You had skills most men don't and I couldn't believe that a woman could do that and be as good as the men are. Giles was never a push over and I knew I could trust his judgment about you, but I was too stubborn to give you a chance. To be totally honest, I was threatened by you, by how good you were…and so I pushed you every chance I got, hoping to drive you out, even though you were the best I'd seen in a long time.

Your passion and determination surprised me and I realized you were actually good for the team. No one even dared to stand up to me and there you were, this petite, beautiful woman, and you knocked me flat on my back the first time we sparred together" Angelus was pleased to see her smile at his comment. He knew the next part was going to be the hardest but he could do nothing else but jump in head first and only hope for the best. "But when you knocked me down, I realized something changed over the past few weeks since you joined us. I actually liked having you around and working with you and…I started developing feelings for you…and it threw me. I didn't know what the hell was going on with myself, and so I lashed out at you because I didn't want you finding out. I wanted you…still want you, more than I've ever wanted anything and that scared me.

The more I tried denying it the more I knew I was fighting a losing battle. Then I helped you with target practice…the feeling of having you so close…being able to touch you…I didn't know how you felt and so I went into full attack mode. Only then I realized you'd stopped fighting with me so often and I thought that maybe you were feeling it too.

When you almost got hurt on that mission and Groo saved you and Gunn, I was furious and it scared the crap out of me to think you might have been injured. I wanted to tell you how I felt then but you avoided me…" Angelus trailed off, risking a glance at Buffy. What he saw in her eyes shocked him; her eyes were shining with unshed tears and total understanding. She gave a small smile and he continued.

"Then the Novikov mission…when I saw him standing over you, I just lost it. I knew I lost my chance to tell you how I felt and how sorry I was. No matter how hard I tried, Giles refused to let me see you; until I couldn't take it anymore and went behind his back to see you. But you were already gone when I got there. Even though I was angry, I understood why you left. You have more courage than I'll ever have. The thought of losing you now…I can't bare it Buffy…" he trailed off, afraid to see her reaction and rejection.

When she gave his hand a small squeeze, he looked up, ready to face whatever lay ahead. As always, he could read her emotions like crystals in her eyes. Confusion, wonder, awe, and something else he wasn't sure about, reflected in her green orbs.

Her voice seemed reluctant when she answered, "But I don't understand, you don't even like me. We fought all the time…"

Angelus stopped her before she could say anything more, "I fought because it was a way to hide. I didn't want to confess to myself how I felt and I didn't want you to notice. So I did the only thing I could and I pushed you away. Buffy, I know this is a lot to ask…forgiveness isn't easy to give, but I want to try and earn your forgiveness, and maybe give me a chance to prove myself to you. I'm willing to do whatever it takes." By now his throat was completely dry with fear.

Buffy was stunned into silence. He wanted her forgiveness? What exactly was he expecting from her? Was he serious when he said he had feeling for her? What type of feelings did he have? She gulped, forcing the words out of her mouth, "When you say feelings…what type of feeling s are you talking about?"

Angelus grinned, seeing her drop her carefully built walls just a fraction. This wasn't an opportunity he was going to let pass by, so instead of answering, he moved closer, all the while looking into her eyes, and pulled her towards him the rest of the way. His lips landed on hers in the next instant, softly caressing her mouth with his, hoping to give her the answer she wanted. He's dreamed about this moment countless times, and the real thing was even better than his fantasies. When he felt her respond, his heart soared. He wanted to move closer to her, pull her against him and feel her more fully against him, but he held back, knowing he just caught her off guard and not sure of her feelings just yet.

Buffy was startled motionless when she felt his lips on hers. Pure heaven was a decent enough description of how it felt having his lips on hers. A small gasp escaped her but he swallowed it, kissing her deeper. His lips were soft but firm against hers, and she could sense he was holding back just a bit. Was it because he wasn't sure of her reaction and didn't want to pressure her too quickly, or was it something else? After was felt like an eternity, he pulled back. Buffy suppressed the protesting moan that wanted to spill from her lips. She didn't want him to stop, and he pulled away too soon.

"Does that explain it to you?" Angelus smirked at her, his eyes lowered slightly to gaze into hers. Kissing Buffy felt even better than he imagined. As much as he loved having her lips against his, he had to pull away for fear of what he might do. It was hard enough trying to hold back around her, and after tasting her, his control was being tested. As he settled back down into his chair, he pulled her hand up to his mouth and placed a soft kiss on her palm.

Buffy was startled at the intimate gesture, but when she looked in his eyes, she could see the barely contained longing hidden there. Never in her life would she have imagined the night to turn out like this. She was still reeling from his confession, wondering if he was being honest. But Angelus never sweet coated anything, he always spoke the truth, if you wanted to hear it or not, and the same applied here with them now.

Angelus knew they still had a long way to go and one kiss and a confession wasn't going to right months worth of wrong doings. But he was willing to do what was necessary, even wait for months until she was ready. "Please Buffy, give me a chance. I'm not expecting you to make a decision right away, just…think about it, please."

Buffy had never heard such longing and hope in a person's voice before, and to hear that in Angelus' voice was something she never would have expected. He was actually putting himself on the line, putting his feelings in her hands, and giving her every chance to back out or push him away…she didn't want to do either. "Since you said your piece, it think it's only fair I say mine as well…" Buffy said finally.

Without realizing it, Angelus pulled in a deep breath, anticipation and dread filling him, when he nodded, Buffy continued, "When I arrived at the Hyperion, I knew I had to prove myself to the team, and I didn't mind, looked forward to it actually. Ever since I wanted to go into law enforcement, people have resented me and doubted me, but I took pride in my work and knowing ultimately that I would prove them wrong.

As the guys gradually started loosening up around me, I felt a sense of relief, but…You were still not convinced. No matter how hard I tried, nothing worked and all I achieved was having you resent me even more. Knowing you didn't approve, I stared doubting myself. And we were always fighting, even though it was fun at times, I couldn't stand the fact that you didn't want me there. I tried using my anger against you, not knowing it would backfire in my face.

The first time I saw you with the guys when you thought I wasn't there, and I saw how great a person you are, I realized something changed…that I changed and my feelings towards you changed. Like you, I tried to hide it, afraid that you might find out and use that against me. That day you helped me with target practice, I thought things might change…"

Angelus spoke, "Only they didn't." Buffy nodded sadly.

"Truth is…no matter how hard I tried, no matter what I did, nothing changed and my feelings only grew…" Buffy didn't know what to say after that. Confessing she was in love with him wasn't easy at all, even after he bared his heart to her. "This isn't coming out right…" Buffy gave a feeble laugh, but not feeling humorous at all. "What I meant to say is…I feel the same…about you. And I'm willing to give you…this, a chance."

Angelus felt a smile spread over his face, grinning like a total love sick fool. When Buffy looked at him again, he pulled her close and fused his lips with hers in a searing kiss. Buffy stole his breath away every time he was near her, not even the few weeks they hadn't seen each other changed that. The thought that she was willing to give him a chance meant more than he could ever say. He would do anything and everything to make this work with her, even go to the depths of the earth to prove himself.

"So, I'm willing to give you a chance to prove to me that you're not an asshole." Buffy said jokingly, causing him to chuckle. Her being humorous about it was good; it meant they had a chance.

"I promise you won't regret this." He said between kisses.

"Let's hope so. I'm still a bit reluctant that Angelus Navarro can be nice." Buffy joked again. Seeing the twinkle in her eyes made his heart flutter a mile a minute. What had he ever done to deserve her forgiveness? Even at his worst, she had been understanding and non judgmental, proving once again what a wonderful person she is.

He wanted to make her happy; he wanted to be her reason for being happy. His feeling towards her was something different than what he felt for the other women that had been in his life. Buffy wasn't just some one night stand type of person. She deserved to wake up next to her lover each morning, with him waiting on her hand and foot, and for the first time in his life he actually wanted to do that with someone…and that someone was Buffy.

**THE END**

…FOR NOW…

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